Maybe I Don't Hate You
by NiceSprite
Summary: Since her very first day at Hogwarts, Rose Weasley had been told not to associate with Scorpius Malfoy. And now that they were in their 6th year, they still hated each other just fine. But then, her best friend and cousin Albus Potter suddenly began to hang out with their archenemy. Great. - Scorose & some OCxOC
1. Chapter 1

xxxxx

**Maybe I Don't Hate You.**

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**Summary:** Since her very first day at Hogwarts, Rose Weasley had been told not to associate with Scorpius Malfoy. And now that they were in their 6th year, they still hated each other just fine. But then, her best friend and cousin Albus Potter suddenly began to hang out with their archenemy. Great.

**A/N:** So this is, obviously, a NextGen HP fanfiction, so of course I had to imagine myself how the characters could be like only according to a few lines of clues we were given, but I'll still try to remain as faithful as possible to the original universe, and I hope my characterization of the next generation won't seem wrong to you.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything. Harry Potter's whole universe belongs to J.K. Rowling.

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**Chapter 1:**

A young girl with long wavy red hair and blue eyes was looking in every compartment of the train, obviously looking for something. Along with her was a boy who was just a little taller than her. He had mid length untidy dark hair, green eyes, and a thin stature and face.

Those two were respectively Rose Weasley and Albus Potter, and they were in the Hogwarts Express, searching for a compartment to stay in.

"I swear I saw Lena hop in the train before us. She must be in one of them," Rose exclaimed, looking through the nth compartment window, and finally found her, "Ah, see, she's here!"

Inside the compartment was a girl around their age, reading a book. She was about the same height as Rose, had a fair skin, blue eyes and long brown hair she often tied in a high ponytail.

"I didn't say anything you know," Albus commented even though he knew her cousin wasn't listening to him. She'd already opened the door, greeting her best friend.

"Hey Lena, how are you?" She beamed at her. Lena Reynolds was a sixth year student, and belonged to the House Gryffindor, just like Rose and Albus. Rose and Lena met each other on their first night of school as their beds were next to each other, they immediately hit it off and have been best friends ever since.

Lena put her book down, happily surprised to see her friends, "Rose, hi! I'm great, it's good to see you two, we didn't get to see each other much during the holidays." She smiled back as Rose sat next to her and Albus across them. She turned her head and greeted him too, "Hey Al'"

"Hey Lena," He greeted back with a smile.

"Sorry about that, but you know how we're always busy on summer holidays, since like half our family is born during the summer. And you know that makes a lot of people," Rose apologized to her friend.

"Don't worry I know, I'm used to it now. But usually we manage to meet at least a few times. The point is, I missed you so much!" She hugged Rose tightly.

"And you didn't miss me?" Albus feigned being offended.

Lena looked at him and smiled playfully, "What, do you want a hug too?"

"No thanks, I like to be able to breathe," he retorted, watching Rose's condition after the said hug.

"Don't be a pussy!" She hugged – or more attacked – him too.

He was struggling and barely managed to say, "Stop it, Lena!"

She went back to her seat and smiled in victory, "Hey, you're the one who asked for it. By the way, shouldn't you two go in the prefects' compartment?" She realized.

"And not do the trip with you even after not seeing you for months?" Rose asked rhetorically.

Lena smiled brightly, "You're so adorable! Thank you so much, to be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to doing the whole trip alone with Peter. Last year was enough. That's why I took this with me," she showed them her book.

"_And then there were none_ by Agatha Christie," Albus read out loud. "What does it talk about?"

"Oh, I read this one," Rose said, "It's a Muggle mystery novel. I loved it, too."

"Don't say anything! I'm only at the second chapter. Anyway, I don't need this anymore since you're here to keep me company," she smiled while putting the book aside.

"By the way, Peter's still not there?" Albus asked just before someone opened abruptly their compartment door.

"I made it," the boy was totally out of breath. He slowly closed the door and slumped on the couch, next to Albus.

"Well, hello to you too, Peter," Rose remarked, her eyebrow raised and her arms crossed.

"Yeah, right, hey guys," He replied, slightly waving his hand at them.

Meet Peter Crawford, Albus' best friend also since their first year at Hogwarts. He wasn't really tall, but not small either, he had brown hair and brown eyes, and a cute face too. He'd probably be popular, if only he didn't talk or move. You see, Peter's also kind of known as the clown of Gryffindor as he often makes a fool out of himself and doesn't even really care.

Albus looked at him and chuckled, "You know, after six years, people would think you would know how to avoid being late for the train."

"I wanted to be on time and not have to run, but my body didn't agree with this plan and made me oversleep."

"As always," the three other teenagers concluded in unison, shaking their heads.

"At least I never miss it, it's already something."

"And you are right to be proud of that," Lena mocked, the other two laughed.

Someone then knocked, "Anything from the trolley, dears?"

"Perfect timing. Yes, I'll take some chocolate frogs, they're good for energy," Peter said.

They each bought some candies, and the lady was about to close the door when a boy's voice came from behind her, saying, "Well, if this isn't the people I absolutely didn't miss during the holidays. And the whole gang's there."

Here was Scorpius Malfoy, harboring his famous smirk, the one he inherited from his father. No need to say it wasn't the only thing he'd inherited from him: he had his hair, his eyes, his arrogance, his wits, the same Slytherin emblem on his cloak, and of course, the same... let's say _unfriendly_ behavior towards anyone who would have Weasley or Potter as their last name. He was also a prefect, just like Albus and Rose. Though, if you asked the two cousins, they wouldn't be able to tell you why he had been chosen as one.

"Really? Because we absolutely missed you and your remarks, so much that sometimes I dreamed about it. Oh wait, those were nightmares," Rose retorted.

"Oh, Rose Weasley thinking so much about me it invades her dreams, I'm honored," Malfoy placed his right hand on his chest.

"I believe she said _nightmares_," Albus defended his cousin.

"Same difference. I torment her nights, that's enough for me," he smirked again.

"You wish," Rose scoffed.

"I'm sorry but, unlike you, I don't have the time nor the desire to think about anything involving you, Weasley," he responded acidly.

"Then why do you waste your time talking to us, huh?" Lena said coldly, tired of hearing him talking to her friends like that.

"I don't even know why. Thank you for reminding me, Reynolds, it seems you can be of use at times," he agreed and looked respectively at the boys, "Crawfish, Potty. I reckon we'll meet again soon," before switching his attention back to Rose, "And I know it'd be hard for you, Weasley, but try not to dream too much about me, it creeps me out to be honest." And without giving them the time to say a word, he left.

"He's so _infuriating_," Albus fumed.

Rose shrugged, "That's Malfoy for you. At least he had the decency to close our door."

"Yeah, give that boy a prize for showing an ounce of good manners," Lena concluded sardonically.

"Crawfish, seriously? It's a bad pun and not even true, my face never turns red!" Peter complained loudly.

"Since when Malfoy's insults are good or even true, huh?" Albus said.

"Right, but still. After all this time he could come up with better ones." Peter commented.

The others just shrugged and began to eat their candies, forgetting about that unpleasant encounter.

xxxxx

"So, on today's class, we'll learn a spell that will allow you to imprison something," Professor Hoddes, the Transfiguration teacher began to explain. He took out a bird from his cage and said, "You just have to point at the creature and say in-_car_-si-fors." And a perfectly adjusted cage appeared around the bird. "Come on, who wants to give it a try? But for now only on objects, it can be dangerous for the animal if the adjustment isn't done well." He looked around, "Miss Weasley, would you?"

She smiled, "Of course." She pointed at her Transfiguration book and said the incantation. It worked flawlessly.

"Well done, Miss Weasley," he congratulated her.

"Thank you," she beamed proudly. Even though she did well it all her classes, her favorite was the Transfiguration class and she was always more pleased to do a transfiguration spell right than any others.

"Thank you," Malfoy grossly imitated her in a high-pitched voice. "First class of the year and already licking the teacher's boots. She conjured up a cage for a _book_, what an achievement indeed." The other Slytherins next to him snickered.

"Then, try and do the spell, Malfoy! We'll see if it's as easy as you say," Peter stood up and dared him.

Malfoy's smirk flattered slightly at Peter's provocation – he looked really pissed and uneasy for about a nanosecond – but it came back quickly, "No problem, but let's make it more challenging then," he quickly pointed his wand at Peter and said the incantation. An immense cage appeared all around the Gryffindor boy, who was now raging.

At the sight of his friend like that, Albus saw red and immediately stood up even before Professor Hoddes could react, pointed his wand at Malfoy, and exclaimed, "Melofors!"

A pumpkin was now encircling Scorpius' head, who was struggling in order to get it off.

"ENOUGH!" The professor yelled, before making the cage and the pumpkin disappear. "Mr. Malfoy! This is madness, what if the cage you made was too small, Mr. Crawford could have been really hurt. And Mr. Potter, I am disappointed in you, I didn't think you would stoop to using such low tricks. That would be 25 points from Slytherin and 15 from Gryffindor. And detention for both of you."

Albus sat again, looking a little guilty for losing his temper. But still, that ferret had totally deserved it.

"I've always loved taking class with the Slytherins, they're real peaches," Rose, who was sitting next to him, muttered with a sigh.

Albus couldn't help but chuckle at her remark.

"Miss Weasley, I don't think it is proper of you to make jokes and encourage Mr. Potter in his actions. 5 more points from Gryffindor."

"But I didn't say anyth–" She tried to protest.

"Enough, I said! One more word and you'll get detention, too."

Once Mr. Hoddes turned around and wasn't paying much attention, Malfoy taunted, "Good luck in getting in his good books now."

"Oh, shut up Malfoy," Rose blurted angrily. But maybe a little too loudly.

"Miss Weasley, that's it. I'm sorry, but you'll have a detention too."

"Great," she was fuming. All of this was because of that prick. But she didn't say anything for the rest of the class, afraid of getting sanctioned again. Mr. Hoddes did seem on edge today, and she just paid the penalty of it.

xxxxx

"I would so strangle that prick if I could," Peter raged in the dorms.

"I am so disappointed to have missed Pumpkin Malfoy," Lena said.

"I am so gonna make him pay for that," Albus added.

"You are so going to do nothing about it. We just both had a detention because we responded to his taunting, remember?" Rose rebuked.

"I don't even get why we had the same sanction as him. I mean, yes I went overboard and lost my temper in class, but Malfoy could have freakin' _killed_ Peter!"

"Come on, he wouldn't have done it if he wasn't sure it'd work. Even though it's hard to admit, he _is_ one of the best students of our year," Rose tried to calm his cousin down. "He probably already did that spell before."

"I wouldn't be so sure. I think he may have been overconfident about it, but didn't care if it'd work or not," Albus argued.

"Come on, Al', he's a total prick, but he's not completely out of his mind," the girl insisted.

"Why are you even defending him? You just got a detention because of him. You. On your first Transfiguration class of the year."

"I'm not defending him, I'm talking some sense into you so you won't attack him again and get another detention," Rose retorted.

Peter and Lena just watched them arguing, shaking their heads.

"And here I am, the main victim, and nobody cares about me," the boy complained.

"Oh, I care," Lena put her hand on his shoulder in a comforting way.

"Thank you," he smiled at her, touched.

"For once you're not the reason of your looking like a fool in front of everyone. That's progress, believe me," she went on, now smirking.

Peter's eyes widened at the realization of this betrayal, "You're even worse than them, Lena! It's not fair. Al' was telling the truth, I really could have died!"

"Come on, you're overreacting," she laughed.

"Fine, I could've been really badly hurt! But I get it, nobody gives a crap about it. Feels good to have friends, indeed." He was now pouting.

"Of course we give a crap, Peter. Me giving a crap is the reason of my detention, remember?" Albus suddenly intervened, apparently finished arguing with his cousin.

After a moment of reflection, Peter finally smiled and replied, "Right, thanks, mate!"

xxxxx

"At least our detention is with Hagrid. We probably won't get bored," Albus commented as he was walking with Rose and Scorpius.

"Yeah right, he'll make us go into the Forbidden Forest, I'm sure of it. Of course we won't get bored, we'll be too busy running for our lives," Scorpius retorted, obviously not sharing his enthusiasm.

"Hagrid will be with us, there should be no problem," Rose told him before smirking, "But I guess it doesn't mean much for a scaredy-cat like you."

"I am not a scaredy-cat. I'm just talking from experience. It is not called the Forbidden Forest for nothing, I never understood why they still make students go in there when they named it like that."

"You say that, but all I hear is 'I'm scared, mommy help meee!' just like you did once," Rose mocked.

"Come on, enough with that story! It was in first year and that was because a forest troll was chasing me in that bloody forest! And I certainly did _not_ scream that! You weren't even there, you only repeat what people say," Scorpius defended himself. "When a creature will attack you and you will be the one screaming, don't wait for me to save you, Weasley," he scoffed.

"As if I'd ever expect _you_ to help me. I'd rather trust a troll."

"Nobody will be in danger. And if something really happens, Hagrid will help us. And Malfoy, stop being a wimp. We're here anyway so you don't really have a choice," Albus concluded once they were in front of the door.

"I am not a wimp and you better not call me that again or…" Malfoy stopped when he noticed they weren't listening to him anymore, already busy greeting their big friend.

"Albus, Rose! Nice ter see yeh two! I was glad ter hear yeh'll serve yer detention with me. Well, not glad yeh have detention o' course, but glad ter see yeh," he happily welcomed them with a slight hug.

"We're happy to see you too," Albus said as they smiled back at him.

Then, Hagrid finally took notice of Scorpius' presence, "Oh Scorpius, right, yeh're here too."

Of course he didn't show the same enthusiasm for him. He didn't mind the boy, but he didn't particularly like him, either. He was less arrogant and less wary of magical creatures than his father (from what Hagrid could see during his Care of Magical Creatures class), but he still had his way to find some annoying comments to say.

"Please don't be so enthusiastic, it makes me uncomfortable," the boy deadpanned. "So, what do we have to do? Let's do it quickly so I can go sleep," he added with his arms crossed in a condescending manner.

Yep, that was the kind of behavior that made Hagrid not like him very much.

"Tonight, yeh'll help me feed some friends o' mine. It'll be fun, I promise," he was really looking forward to showing them his friends.

"What kind of friends?" Rose inquired.

"Yeh'll see. But don' worry they're not dangerous as long as yeh're gentle with 'em. If yeh're like yer parents, there shouldn' be any problem," He assured the two Gryffindor teenagers, and then looked at Scorpius, "I hope yeh're not like yer father, though. He doesn' have a good history with their kind."

With that he left them a moment to get something. When he came back, he handed them buckets full of dead birds and other little mammals, "Here, take two buckets each. They shouldn' be too heavy."

"And that is why I had a bad feeling about this. Why do I have to carry dead animals?" The boy said with a disgusted expression on his face.

"Stop complaining all the time," Rose preached as they were heading towards the Forbidden Forest, "This is your fault we're here in the first place."

"If you think about it, it's that clowny friend of yours' fault because he provoked me, and he didn't even get a detention."

"If you think about it, it's your fault for making him want to provoke you," Rose retorted.

"Why did he even have to stand up anyway, I wasn't talking about him, but about you," Scorpius was getting angrier.

"I don't know, maybe because you were being a prick and insulting his friend," she responded, "But I I shouldn't expect you to understand the notions of friendship and loyalty."

"Children, stop it, yeh'll irritate the animals," Hagrid warned them.

Both scoffed at the other.

While walking, Albus approached Rose and whispered jokingly to her, "So much for not fighting with Malfoy, huh?"

"I didn't say anything about arguments without physical violence," Rose replied.

Hagrid halted, "That's the place." He whistled, as if he was calling a dog, and a dozen of hippogriffs popped out from the woods.

"Your friends are hippogriffs?" Scorpius exclaimed before making a face, "Why am I even surprised? But now I understand why you said my father's got a bad history with them."

"Be careful when yeh approach them, they aren' used ter seein' that much people so they're a lil' shy. You don' have ter get too close ter feed 'em anyway, so it should be okay."

"They're beautiful," Rose commented, advancing really slowly.

"Rose don'," Hagrid began, worried, but stopped after seeing she knew what she was doing. She was bowing to the grey and slender hippogriff that was the closer to her. But its stature, it was probably a female.

"Don't worry, my mother told me about hippogriffs, I believe I can get close to one," she explained softly, waiting for the hippogriff to bow in return, and that's what it did. She smiled and got slowly closer to it, until she could caress his head.

"I'm impressed Rose, Becky isn' usually good with humans."

"So, your name is Becky, huh?" She asked the animal with a gentle smile.

Becky made a small sound, as if she was agreeing.

Rose laughed and threw a bird at her, which she happily caught in her beak.

Hagrid clapped his hands together, "Okay, now it's yer turn boys, yeh don' have to go as close as Rose, just throw the food at 'em."

"If Weasley can do it, I can do it too," Scorpius protested, already moving towards another hippogriff, an inky black one.

"Scorpius, don', they're really prideful creatures, yeh don' wanna get 'em in a bad mood!" Hagrid warned him.

"I know, my dad told me about it, don't worry I won't get injured unnecessarily," the boy assured, as he slowly bowed to the animal, smiling in victory when the bow was returned to him.

He remembered very well how he heard about this story. His mother was teasing his father about it one time, when he was about 7.

"_You know, your father acts all tough now, but there are stories about him that don't tell the same thing. One time, he was slightly hit by a hippogriff and wept like a little baby," Astoria mocked, pointing Draco with her thumb while looking at her son._

"_Eeh, seriously?" Scorpius couldn't believe it. He'd always pictured his father as strong and courageous._

"_Hey, don't tell him things like that! And for your information, I really was badly hurt, I had to be taken to the hospital and all," Draco tried to defend himself._

_His wife crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow while smiling, "That was your own fault, offending a hippogriff right at its beak." _

_Draco sighed, "You're right. I wasn't really smart back then, but I genuinely thought that thing couldn't really understand a thing I was saying. Guess I was wrong," he then looked at his son, "Scorpius, never, ever insult a hippogriff. I mean it, those things are smarter than they look, and definitely as proud as they look." _

Scorpius smiled at the memory. His father could be strict and cold, but he could also show good sides of him, especially to his wife and son.

After cautiously making a few steps towards the magical creature, Scorpius' hand reached its head.

"Eh, yeh're quite good too, Salamander seems to like yeh. Good job!" Hagrid acknowledged.

Albus looked at his professor and friend, "Can I try, too?"

The adult smiled, "'Course, go on. Try with Spicytail over there," he pointed at one that had chestnut feathers, with some red in it.

Albus succeeded too. Seeing how each teenager respectively gained the trust of one of their kind, the other hippogriffs approached too, and accepted being fed by them.

"See, told yeh it'd be ok," Hagrid happily exclaimed while throwing some food.

"I have to admit, this detention isn't as unpleasant as I'd thought it would be," Scorpius said while petting Salamander.

"Wow, Malfoy actually admitting something and not complaining, that's a first," Rose declared.

"Well, it _is_ the first time I come here without getting attacked by something, you know. And I only complain when there's something to complain about. It's just it happen a lot more when you're around, Weasley. Weird, huh?"

"Come on, I should be the one complaining when you're around me," she retorted.

"Guys, let's not break the mood and be civil with each other, ok?" Albus said.

"Albus is righ'. The hippogriffs sense anger and they migh' become agitated if this go on," Hagrid added.

"Fine," both said without much conviction.

Once every hippogriff was fed, Hagrid said, "Let's go find the others now."

"There are more of them?"

"Yeah, some are missin', but they must be close."

"But this forest is giant, it'll take forever to find them," Albus commented.

"If they're not here, they mus' be drinkin' some water at the river, and they usually go ter only two different places. So, let's split up and it'll be even faster. Rose, yeh come with me, Albus an' Scorpius, yeh take the other way."

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"Come on, we've been walking for 10 minutes, and I still don't see a river anywhere," Malfoy said.

"It must be close, now," Albus was also trying to convince himself.

"I hope, 'cause I still don't like staying too long in that forest," Scorpius added, looking all around him, waiting for something to jump on him anytime soon.

Albus, who was walking in front of him, stopped and turned around, "Come on, stop being so scared, we'll hear it if something comes at us."

Suddenly, the Slytherin boy's eyes widened in fear and he slowly pointed his finger over Albus' head, "I bet you didn't hear _that_ coming."

"What?" the young Potter asked before looking over him, and he saw an acromantula getting closer to him. "Okay, let's stay calm, and it probably won't attack us," he said warily and very quietly, while trying to slowly move away from it.

But then, the big spider made its move at once and jumped on him. Thankfully, Albus had had the time to take out his wand and use it against it, so the acromantula was thrown a few meters away.

"We're lucky it wasn't too big, it must be a baby," Albus reasoned.

"But if a baby is here, that must mean…" Scorpius began to say as they were looking at each other, realizing what it meant.

They heard branches crack, turned their head and exclaimed at the same time, "that the parents aren't far away!" And they began to run for their lives, while still managing to hex the arachnids. But since they were much bigger than the first one – and very pissed on top of that – they were having a really hard time trying to get rid of them.

After a lot of running, hexing, and running again, they finally managed to shake them off.

Once they were certain the creatures wouldn't come back, Scorpius let himself fall on the ground, "See, going in the Forbidden Forest, never a good idea," he concluded, still out of breath.

Albus was still standing up but holding his hip with one hand, "For once, I agree with you, Malfoy." Then he looked at his right, and smiled, "Hey, at least we found the river." They were on the top of a cliff and the river was at the bottom of it.

Scorpius stood up, "Really? Maybe we misunderstood the acromantulas, they were just trying to show us the right way. Remind me to thank them next time," he joked.

"Yeah, well then, let's hope we don't need their help again," Albus said. "Anyway, let's go, I think this is the way down." He began to walk again, but a little too close to the edge, and it seemed quite unstable.

By the time Scorpius realized what was happening, and yelled, "Potter, watch it!" the latter put his foot on the wrong place and the ground where he was standing on started to fall apart.

Fortunately, he managed to hold on the ground that was still steady, but it didn't stay steady for long and was about to go down just like the rest, and Albus was close to follow the rocks and fall off the cliff. Scorpius ran and extended his right hand to him, "Take it, I'll help you up!"

Albus Potter grasped Scorpius Malfoy's arm with his two hands just after starting to fall, but it was hard to pull him up since the other boy had been dragged along the way and half his body wasn't in contact with the ground, either.

"Don't you dare let go of my arm, Potter!" He exclaimed, seeing that Albus was losing his strength after some time staying like that. Scorpius tried to gather more strength but it still wasn't enough.

"Albus? Malfoy? You're here?" They suddenly heard Rose screaming from afar.

"Rose! Here! We need help, fast!" Scorpius yelled as loud as he could.

"Boys! We're comin', don' worry!" Harry replied as he popped out of the woods along with Rose. When he saw the situation they were in, he immediately gave them a hand. Of course, he was able to pull both of them effortlessly and put them far from the edge.

"Albus! Are you ok?" His cousin worried, kneeling next to him.

She did not pay attention to Scorpius who was lifting his eyebrow, his face saying 'Right, don't worry about the one who just saved your precious cousin, girl.'

"Yeah, thanks to Malfoy. If it weren't for him, I would've been lying at the bottom of that cliff, unconscious or worse," Albus slightly smiled, casting a sideways look at Scorpius.

Rose just seemed to remember Scorpius' existence thanks to her cousin's words, and stared at him, surprised.

He just shrugged and looked away, "I didn't want to have his death on my conscience, that's all."

"Thanks," she simply told him, looking straight at him.

This one word and that look from her made him feel a little weird. He wasn't used to that kind of thing coming from her.

Then, she noticed something, and exclaimed, "Malfoy, your arms are bleeding!"

He hadn't even noticed himself, "Oh, that must be because of the friction against the ground when I was trying to pull him up. But it's just a few scratches, that's why I didn't even feel them."

Rose told Hagrid, "Let's get them out of here."

The gamekeeper agreed.

"Hey, what about the hippogriffs?" Albus suddenly remembered.

"We found 'em an' fed 'em just fine."

"That's why we went looking for you," Rose added.

"Too bad you weren't faster, we wouldn't have had to run like hell and almost fall from a cliff," Scorpius said.

"Why run?" She didn't understand.

"Acromantulas," this word alone from Albus was enough.

"Did I tell you I didn't like going in the Forbidden Forest?" Scorpius underlined.

"Yes, you did, Malfoy," the redhead rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything else. She couldn't really blame him this time.

xxxxx

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xxxxx

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!

Feel free to review, I'd love to get some feedback and know what is good or bad so I can get better at this. (:

Also, I'm French, so English isn't my first language. So if you see some big mistakes, or even small but recurrent or annoying ones, I'd be thankful if you told me :) I know I really dislike reading something with a lot of mistakes in it, even more when it's a story, and I don't want you to have that kind of feeling while reading mine.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

"Wait, let me get this straight. You're telling us that Scorpius _Malfoy_ saved Albus from a severe fall?" Lena exclaimed after the two cousins had related their recent adventure.

"He did," Albus nodded.

"I think we're close to the apocalypse," Peter concluded.

"Come on, it's not that unbelievable. If it was the other way around, each one of us would have done the same thing," Rose reasoned.

"Yes, but we're not Malfoy," the brown-eyed boy argued. "He did almost kill me last week."

"You were totally fine, get over it already," the Weasley girl rolled her eyes.

"You know, for someone who's always arguing with him, you're defending him a lot these days," Albus commented.

"Of course I'd argue with him, he's a jerk and has the knack of getting on my nerves. But that doesn't mean he's plain evil, there's a difference."

"And I agree with you, he's even decent company when he doesn't insult everyone around him," Albus said. They had seen another side of the boy in the Forbidden Forest, and Albus was starting to think, maybe he wasn't so bad.

"What's this, the new Malfoy fan club or what?"

"Believe me, Peter, we're far from being his fans," Rose retorted.

"Yeah, it's not a fan club, but more of a tolerance club, right?" Lena intervened with a smile.

"It's not a club at all," the redhead fumed.

"But do you stand the guy now or not?" Peter inquired.

"Oh course not! I loathe him," she strongly denied before adding more quietly, "I'm just grateful he saved Albus."

Albus and Peter looked at each other, and shrugged while saying, "Girls."

"Still, I seem to miss every good moment these days," Lena suddenly pouted, changing subjects.

"Next time we'll invite you at our detention, I promise," Rose replied sarcastically.

"And you'll maybe even get the chance to be chased by acromantulas," Albus added.

"No thanks. I don't mind regular spiders, but I'd rather stay away from those who have legs bigger than my whole body, and there are eight of them."

"I know right, me too. I'm so glad I wasn't the one who was chased by them, I would have been petrified," Rose went on. Obviously, she had inherited her father's arachnophobia, probably because he'd always tell her how horrible they were when she was still little.

xxxxx

The four friends were heading towards their next class.

"So, do you know how's the new Potions teacher like?" Lena asked.

"I don't know much. I only heard Professor Hazebrown was very friendly, and not really strict. Some also say she was a model before becoming a teacher. I just hope she'll still teach us well," Rose replied.

"Wait, that would mean she's Olivia Hazebrown. My older sister is her fan and wants to be like her. And I understand why, she's so beautiful," Peter exclaimed, already grinning at the thought. "I'm sure she will be a great teacher."

"You're sure you're not the one who's her fan?" Rose joked.

"Guys. So simpleminded," Lena sighed.

Peter finally shook his head, "But still, I don't understand why they always pair us up with the Slytherins for Potions. I mean, it's one of the classes where they can pull the most pranks, one drop of the wrong ingredient and that's it," Peter complained.

"Right, if the teacher's not strict, I can see where this is coming," Albus concluded.

"Don't act like you're the only victims here, you know how to riposte just fine, don't you Potter?" a rather tall guy with brown hair and green eyes, who would be described as handsome by most people, said while going past them. And that would be Damon Stones, a close friend of Scorpius Malfoy, who was standing next to him.

"I don't know, you should ask your best friend over there," Peter pointed his chin at Malfoy.

"It's a shame you're not in a cage today, Crawford. It'll be safer for all of us, since you'll probably end up blowing something up again. And you certainly don't need our help for that," Scorpius retorted, smirking.

"If only it was your head that I could blow up," Peter barked.

The four boys were ready to fight, but Rose put her arm in front of her two friends, "Stop it you two, they're not worth it," she said while glaring at Malfoy.

The two Slytherins scoffed and walked into the classroom.

"Yep, there's no doubt, I still hate the guy," Rose said.

"Seems like last time was just a moment of insanity from his part," Albus added as the little group entered the classroom too.

"Stop, stop, stop. Do not sit yet," a slightly tanned woman with mid-long, nicely crimped brown hair suddenly exclaimed. She looked rather young for a teacher and was wearing dark auburn robes and a lot of golden jewelry. And Rose could totally see her being a model.

The girls were admiring her beauty, while the boys were totally drooling at her.

"For this class, I want you to pair up with someone from another house than yours. Which means that I want one student from Gryffindor and one from Slytherin next to each other. No exception," she said with a smile.

Heavy sighs and loud complaints ensued. Suddenly, nobody was happy with her anymore.

"Pairing with a Gryffindor? Yeah right, I guess I'll have to skip this class," one said with a sigh.

"I don't care, if the one I'm paired up with doesn't do their part of the work, I'll tell the Professor Hazebrown," another said angrily.

"This class just became the most boring one," someone declared, "That's what we get for choosing a mindless professor."

"Are you kidding me? They're really asking for us to fight," Peter snapped. "She may be really pretty, but I still can't agree with her idea."

"What does being pretty have to do with anything here?" Lena rolled her eyes at him.

"Come on, come on, it won't be as bad as you think. I'm sure you'll get along just fine," the professor tried to reason. "So, every Gryffindor student, line up and come draw a paper one by one. The name on it will be your Slytherin partner for the rest of the term. Students from Slytherin, please take a seat. Only one per desk, of course."

"I still can't believe she's making us do this," Peter complained again while standing in line.

"I guess that's the too friendly part of hers I heard about," Rose deducted.

Lena drew a paper and rolled her eyes after reading it, "I got Damon Stones. Great."

It was Rose's turn, "Sicilia Grande." Not bad, she was known to be serious in her work.

Peter was the next one, "Blake Vandergraff." Didn't ring a bell.

Albus made a face once he saw his, "And I got Scorpius Malfoy."

They all got to their respective seats while dragging their feet. Of course, Malfoy was sitting in the last row, next to Damon's desk. Rose found Sicilia sitting on the desk in front of Scorpius and Albus, and Peter was at the exact opposite of the room.

"Well, hello deskmate," Damon greeted Lena smoothly, as if he didn't start a fight with her friends a few minutes before.

"We already saw each other. And let's keep it to only being civil to each other during class, ok? No need to be friendly," the girl replied coldly.

"Oh, a feisty one, I like it." Damon wasn't a well-known playboy for nothing. Lena just rolled her eyes and turned her head, ignoring him.

"Hello," Rose simply said with a polite smile as she sat next to Sicilia.

"Hello," the girl, who had long straight brown hair that matched her chocolate eyes and tanned skin, replied in the same manner.

And their conversation ended like that. Talk about awkward.

"Why didn't you magically changed the paper?" Scorpius rebuked as soon as Albus approached his seat.

"Well, sorry for not automatically thinking about using low tricks," the boy retorted.

"I guess Professor Hazebrown's decision to make the Gryffindor students draw wasn't totally innocent," Rose commented.

"Well, I don't know, after all one Gryffindor or another doesn't change a thing for most of us, so why cheat?" Sicilia said without sounding the bit offended. She didn't seem bad, indeed.

"Right, one stuck-up or another, same difference," Malfoy spat, "And I could've had much worse, meaning a certain ginger who's a real pain in the arse."

"Careful, 'cause you've got his cousin instead," Albus warned.

"Let it slide Al', I already told you he wasn't worth it," Rose said, but not without shooting an angry look at the Slytherin boy.

xxxxx

"Potions officially became my less favorite class of the year," Lena exclaimed while eating at her house's table In the Great Hall, "In just the rest of the time we had left after pairing up, Stones was able to tell me at least ten innuendos and did nothing else, besides laughing with Malfoy of course."

"You're still lucky, at least he's handsome and actually talks to you. My partner does nothing, like really nothing. He just slept during the rest of the hour," Minzy, a fellow Gryffindor girl, said.

"Well, Sicilia seems cool and serious. I think I was lucky here. And she doesn't even snicker to Malfoy's remarks even though he's right behind us."

"And I am the one sitting next to him. I swear, this will not end well. This time was alright since we didn't do much, but that's sitting next to him for the whole term we're talking about."

"And I am alone at the total opposite of all of you. But I have to admit that Blake guy doesn't seem too bad. The only problem is that I think he's as bad as me with potions, so we're basically screwed for this class."

A really cute little blond boy with hazel eyes arrived and sat next to them, "Hey guys!"

"Hey Finn," the others greeted back. Finn McCarthy was a 4th year, just like Albus' sister Lily and Rose's brother Hugo.

"So, I heard your first match will be against Ravenclaw," he said. The young boy loved Quidditch, but unfortunately he wasn't good at playing it.

"Oh, don't talk about it, since it's the first match of the year, James is fired up and make us train every day," Rose sighed. She was a keeper in the team.

"Well, it is his last year here, so of course he'd want to end it well," Albus, Gryffindor's seeker, said.

"I know, but because of this I've barely got the time to review my lessons."

"What lessons? We started school this week," Peter couldn't believe her.

"We've already got plenty, believe me. Ancient Runes, Herbology and Potions are full of things to learn by heart. We have to read a big part of the book of Defense Against the Dark Arts…" She started enumerating.

"Ok ok, I get it. I shouldn't have asked," he stopped her. "And to go back on the subject, I don't mind training more than usual. It is the opening match of year after all, and we have to go back in shape after the summer holidays." Peter Crawford was also part of the team as a beater.

"Talk about you, our family doesn't stop playing Quidditch on the holidays, on the contrary," Rose retorted.

"That's because half of our current team is from our family. And not to mention we're from a Quidditch-freak family," a girl said from behind her cousin before sitting next to Finn. She was quite short and slim, had straight red hair that fell a little on her shoulders, and bright brown eyes.

"You're exaggerating Lily, we're only three, that does not make half of the team," Rose objected.

"James is a beater and the captain, which means 4 positions out of 8 are held by someone of our family. I believe that equals to half of the team," Lily Potter smirked.

Her cousin sighed, "Fine, I give up. You're right."

"By the way, Lily, aren't you interested in playing in the team?" Lena asked.

"Nope, as I was saying, our family has largely enough members in it, and James is already training Hugo to fill up his position of chaser next year. I play with my family so they're happy but that's all. The sport I prefer is shopping, anyway," she beamed.

"That makes at least one girl here who actually pays attention to her looks. You should learn from her," Peter advised Rose and Lena.

Of course, he got hit by the two of them at the same time.

Peter looked shocked while rubbing his arms, while Albus shrugged, "You should've seen it coming, mate."

xxxxx

"So, your main assignment of this term will be the brewing of a Polyjuice potion, as it needs a lot of complicated prior preparation and brewing time. Of course, you'll do it with your desk partner. While we do other potions in class, this one, along with the report you'll give me, will count as 70% of your grade, so do it well," Professor Hazebrown explained.

"Great," both Scorpius and Albus sighed at the idea of doing it together.

"At least we agree on one thing," Malfoy said.

"Well, as much as we dislike it, we have to cope with it," Albus reasoned, "So, I suggest we call a truce, at least for everything concerning this class."

Scorpius seemed to think about his proposition for a few seconds before finally agreeing to it, "Alright then. It's the only way not to fail this class, after all."

Albus extended his hand, but Malfoy just stared at it, "Let's not go overboard, shall we?"

"If we can't shake hands, how could we work together?" He insisted.

The white-blond-haired boy finally gave in and shook it real quickly.

Albus smiled in triumph. He did not particularly want to shake Malfoy's hand either, but his accepting to do that was a sign he was ready to make some concessions.

The rest of the hour went unexpectedly smoothly. They weren't being friendly or making conversation, they just talked when needed for their work.

When the class was finished, Rose went to her cousin and said, "Did I see wrong or Malfoy and you are standing each other's presence without problem?"

"I suggested we call it a truce for this class only," he explained.

"Really? And Malfoy accepted it?" Peter gasped after catching up with them in the corridor, Lena walking close to him.

"He doesn't really have a choice if he doesn't want to fail his exam."

"I'm surprised he didn't try to get another partner, though," Lena said.

"Professor Hazebrown doesn't look strict, but she does seem to be stubborn when it comes to her decisions. I heard some students already tried to talk her out of this mixing-houses nonsense but she didn't flinch," Rose informed them.

"I wouldn't have minded mixing houses, as long as if it wasn't with Slytherin," Lena complained. "How am I supposed to pass the exam with that playboy of a partner I have, huh?"

"Just make him understand you're not interested," Peter told her and quickly added, "You're not, are you?"

"Of course not! I am not attracted by men who like themselves more than they'd like anyone else. And I did tell him, he just doesn't listen. I'm starting to think flirting is his way of breathing."

"Would you like me to say a word to him?" Peter asked her.

She frowned, "You? Why?"

"Well, man to man and all that stuff," he said without much conviction.

"Only a boyfriend would do that – a real one I mean, not just a friend who's a boy – and you aren't. My boyfriend, I mean. You are my friend who's a boy but that's all," she ranted nervously. Seeing the looks her friends were giving her, she cleared her throat, "Anyway, the point is, it would probably be useless."

"How about you find yourself a boyfriend, then?" Rose said jokingly. "You haven't had one in ages."

"Time for us boys to go," Albus said while pushing Peter by the shoulders and walking faster. Even if Lena and Rose weren't really girly, they were still, well, girls. They didn't talk much about clothes, make-up, boys and other girl things, but it still happened on occasions. Like now. And he certainly wasn't interested about that kind of talk.

"But…" His friend tried to protest, looking at the girls, as if he wanted to hear more of their conversation. But Albus wouldn't listen to him and left the girls alone.

"You're not one to talk. Think about your own love life before mine, ok?" Lena replied as playfully.

They sat on a bench outside.

"Still, you're sure Stones is not an option? He is handsome, after all."

"And since when did I care only about looks?"

"Then, what about his bad boy character? Really popular among girls I heard," she said jokingly.

"If that was true, you would've jumped on Scorpius Malfoy long ago. He fits the handsome bad boy category, after all."

Rose shuddered at the thought, "Why are you saying such creepy things? I'll really have nightmares now. Plus, Malfoy doesn't flirt with me, he only insults me," she argued. "And did you really call Malfoy handsome?"

"We have to give him at least that. You can't tell me you find him ugly."

"Well, no. But it's Malfoy, his ugly personality takes over the outside looks. And hearing this from you is weird, that's all."

She disliked him since her first year in Hogwarts, so she'd never really paid attention to his looks, like his mesmerizing grey eyes and his perfectly defined jaw, or his white-blond hair that looked so soft and kind of sexy on him, or even his strong arms that weren't shown often enough. She really hadn't, that was just what she heard other girls say about him.

"Of course it's weird, because I don't usually talk about looks, because I don't really care about looks, or at least I care more about personality than looks," she pointed out.

"Right, I understand. Stones, out. I was just joking anyway, I knew you wouldn't be interested. But you know, Peter acts somewhat protective towards you when it comes to Stones," she implied.

"He just doesn't like the guy. He would do the same thing if you were the one in this situation. Ok, maybe not since there's already Albus, but you get the idea."

"I get it, but I'm not sure it's right," she went on.

"Peter's a friend. That's all."

"Alright, I'll stop," she gave in. But she still smiled inside, seeing how her friend's has turned slightly pink, which didn't happen when they were talking about Stones.

xxxxx

"Here are some books that could help us," Albus said to Scorpius, putting four books on the table.

"I still don't understand why we have to do all this. Normally, we do a potion, and that's all. Or we have an exam asking us about how we do the potion. We don't have a whole bloody report to do or anything. Why do we have to do research about that bloody potion's history, anyway?"

"Ask Professor Hazebrown, she's she one making us do it," Albus sat next to the Slytherin boy.

"How can a professor be so easy-going during class and yet so strict on papers? That's the worst, a vicious kind of teacher from which you don't know what to expect."

"I know what you mean. That's why we have to do this perfectly."

Malfoy sighed loudly while taking the first book of the pile, "Let's begin, then."

After meeting at the library a few times over the past two weeks, the two boys had stopped paying attention to the weird looks people were giving them. They knew why they were getting those looks, since they were the first ones to find this situation weird.

Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy were alone together in the library, not fighting or even arguing, but working, and acting almost friendly to each other. Almost being the keyword, they were just tolerating one another. But the strangest part was that it wasn't difficult to do so. Malfoy was surprisingly serious in his work – which shouldn't really be surprising, he was second of his year after all (right behind Rose Weasley) – and didn't make any nasty comments, so Albus didn't either.

"I'm done. I need a break," Albus declared after some time, leaning back on his chair. "If my brain gets one more detail about that bloody potion, it will explode."

"Thank you, I thought I was the only one like that. Seriously, I even know useless things like that Polyjuice is called _Polynectar_ in French, but I can't remember how I learned that, I don't remember reading it, I just remember it. That's insane."

"I think that's enough for tonight. Or even for the week. It's already late anyway, and I have practice tomorrow morning."

"I heard your brother is really serious about this," Malfoy surprisingly said. In two weeks, it was the first time they spoke about something unrelated to the Potions class.

"Yes, he is. But he knows when to stop, too. He says overworked and overtired people are worse that undertrained ones, so even though we practice a lot, we aren't slowly dying either."

"He sounds like a good captain." Another surprising remark.

Albus smiled, "He is. It's his third year as captain, so he's found the right balance."

"Well, I can't wait to have a match against your well-trained team, and have our revenge for last year's match. My house is determined to win the Cup this year," he smirked. "And don't take me lightly, I practiced my speed a lot during summer." Scorpius was his team's seeker.

"Me too. But let's focus on our upcoming matches first. Who knows, one of us could lose."

"Yeah right, it's been years since our two houses are the real deal. In the end, Gryffindor and Slytherin have always the most points."

"Maybe they got better players or tactics this year."

"I heard Hufflepuff got new beaters and chasers, and Ravenclaw a new seeker and a chaser as well. But I don't think it will be enough. I mean, even if they're getting better, we are getting better too. So the gap stays the same. And neither of us lost an important player this year."

"I guess it makes sense when you put it like that," he agreed.

Albus was a little surprised Scorpius gave it so much thought. At first, he thought it was just in his nature to be arrogant and show off about everything, but he had to admit he sometimes had reasons to show off. Not that he approved of his attitude, though. But at least it's not, 'I'm the best because I am the best', or 'because we're better than you and you have nothing to say about it', or even 'because I'm rich and can do what I want.' He realized just now that Malfoy never actually said something like that, that was all his own assumptions about him. Of course, Malfoy's behavior didn't help either, but he wasn't as bad as he thought he was.

"You know, you're not as bad company as I thought, after all," Albus said out loud.

Scorpius gave him a look and said, "Geez, thanks," before smirking, "You're not too bad yourself, Potter."

And that's when the most unexpected thing happened.

Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy were alone together in the library, not fighting or even arguing, not working either, but talking to each other and – brace yourselves – along the way, they kind of became friends.

xxxxx

* * *

xxxxx

So, not much Scorpius/Rose interaction in this chapter, but I had to focus on Albus/Scorpius since they couldn't become friends in just two lines.

And you probably noticed, but my story won't only focus on those three, their close friends will be important too, they aren't there just for decoration or to give the line. So I hope you'll enjoy this part of the plot as well. (:


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Congratulations!" Someone exclaimed while going past our little group of Gryffindor teenagers on their way to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Here are the stars of the day," Minzy greeted them with a big smile, while the whole table was applauding and cheering.

"You don't have to be so ecstatic about it, it was only the first match," Rose said humbly.

"It was still one heck of a match. You surpassed yourselves again," Finn exclaimed. "Ravenclaw also improved, but they still weren't a match for you."

"Well, they did surprise us at first but then we quickly caught up," Peter bragged.

"Where's James, by the way?" Lily asked.

"He was with us at first but then some girls surrounded us, and he stayed there," Albus said, shaking his head.

"I should've stayed too," Peter said with a sigh. "Why didn't I?"

"Because you were hungry," Lena replied.

"Right! Bon appétit!" He exclaimed while putting some food in his mouth, suddenly remembering he was craving.

"This guy has no brain. It's unbelievable," Lena was shaking her head, and the others laughed, agreeing with what she said.

Then, James finally joined them with the rest of the team and received the same cheers they did.

"Took you long enough," Albus told his brother.

"I couldn't help it, I'm too kind that's all," he smirked.

"Yeah right, as if you didn't enjoy it," Rose said.

"Of course I did. It shows our training wasn't for nothing."

"You're such a playboy," Lily shook her head. "You play only to get girls."

"I do not. I play because I love to play. Girls are just great bonuses," he grinned as he sat next to a tanned dark-haired young man.

The latter sighed, "Maybe I should've played for the team, too."

"No, enough of our family in the team," Lily retorted, "Plus, it's too late for you to realize that, you're a 7th year, Freddie."

"And now I'm even being lectured by my 14-year-old little cousin," he joked.

"Imagine when you're in her class," Hugo told him.

"Hey, don't make it sound like I boss you around. I'm quite an easy-going girl," the Potter girl protested.

"Oh, that you are," Hugo agreed.

James and Albus gave a look at their younger sister, "Is there something we should know?"

"More like something you shouldn't know," a young girl with tanned skin and straight dark hair chimed in. And that would be Fred's little sister, Roxanne Weasley.

Next to her was another girl about her age who had a fair skin and mid length red hair, "Don't listen to her, she's just messing with you guys."

"Thank you Lucy, and _not_ thank you, Roxanne," Lily said.

"Ok, too many Weasleys here, you shouldn't gather at the same spot, we'll think it's the Weasley house instead of the Gryffindor one," Peter commented.

"Well, we only came to congratulate you for your match. Now, we can go back to our usual seats," Lucy Weasley smiled.

"Bye guys," Roxanne smiled too before following her cousin and joining the other 3rd years.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly. Everyone at the table was in a great mood because their team won the first match of the season.

When the four friends left the table, they bumped into Scorpius and Damon in the corridor. Three out of four of the Gryffindor students were already getting ready to retort something to their haughty comments, but they were surprised when those comments never came, but instead, Malfoy smiled and said, "See? Told you it'd be a piece of cake for you."

Albus smiled back, "Now you just have to win yours."

"Don't worry about that," he said with confidence. He finally paid attention to Rose and Peter, and told them nonchalantly while taking a bite out of the apple he was holding, "You two weren't too bad either, by the way. But be careful, our team is also really strong."

"Huh, thanks," Rose said, surprised and not really sure how to take it. She wasn't used to be sort of complimented by him.

Peter just ignored him.

"I'll be in the tribunes for the next match, if you want, you can go see it with me," Damon winked at Lena.

"No, thanks," she replied coldly.

"Sorry about that, that guy just never learns," Scorpius smirked at Lena, before looking back at Albus, "See you tomorrow, as usual, then?"

"Yep, same hour, same place," he confirmed.

Scorpius nodded before going his own way, shortly followed by Damon just after the latter winked one last time at the brunette.

"Seriously, aren't you tired of getting blown off, mate?" They heard Malfoy say.

"What can I do, that's how I am," Stones shrugged.

"Ok, that was weird," Rose said while staring at the two Slytherins' backs.

"Is it me, or was Malfoy kind of… friendly?" Lena was frowning.

"He's actually cool these days, you know," Albus said.

"I know you two called a truce and all, but aren't you getting too friendly with him? He's still Scorpius Malfoy, you know," Peter said.

"Yes he is, but he's not as bad as we thought. Even right now, he didn't taunt us or anything. You should give him a chance."

"Yeah, no thanks," Peter said, still not convinced.

"I still think it's weird," Rose wasn't sure about this, either.

"I spend already enough time with that friend of his. But I have to admit he was ok, for once."

"Thank you," Albus told Lena. At least one of them was on his side.

xxxxx

"I love Hogsmeade," Peter said as they were walking in the Hogsmeade's High Street covered by snow, making everyone feel Christmas was coming.

"No, you just love to go to _pubs_ in Hogsmeade, that's different," Lena said knowingly. For once, she'd let her hair down.

"You got me," he smiled brightly.

"Talking about this, here's the Three Broomsticks Inn," Albus pointed at it.

They went in it. The inn looked full, so Rose and Lena were searching for a table while the boys were ordering the butterbeers. Luckily, they found one big enough for all of them.

"What are they doing, brewing the drinks themselves?" Lena asked after some time.

Rose stretched herself, looking around. "Nope, they're here, with company," she pointed her chin near the bar. Here were Albus and Peter, talking to two Ravenclaw girls that Rose identified as Suzy Walker and Petunia Whitworth, two 6th years.

"Don't those girls have some dignity? They're all over them," Lena snapped.

Truth was Suzy seemed ok, only talking and smiling at Albus, but Petunia was touching Peter's arms and shoulders as much as she could. The poor boy didn't seem to know what to do.

"Don't tell me they're coming over with them," Lena exclaimed, going a little red in the face.

"Looks like they are," Rose said.

"We're back with the beer!" Albus exclaimed with an awkward smile. He sat next to Lena, and Suzy sat next to him, while Petunia sat next to Rose – obviously not wanting another girl close to her new target – while pulling Peter next to her.

"I didn't realize butterbeers were sold with tarts now," Lena mumbled angrily, but only Rose seemed to have heard her, and she couldn't help but chuckle.

"What did you say?" Peter asked, oblivious.

"Nothing, just talking about the poor quality of this inn's pastries," Lena said with a fake smile.

Rose held back another chuckle and decided to change subjects before the others figured it out, "And why don't you introduce us?"

"This is Suzy Walker," Albus started, and the girl politely said "Hi." At least that one seemed decent. She had a cute smile and bright hazel eyes. Her long dark blonde hair that was tied into a low loose ponytail on the side that let her curls fall on her left shoulder. Rose found her really beautiful.

"And this is–"

"I'm Petunia Whitworth. Nice to meet you," she rudely cut him short. She had a fair skin, long straight blonde hair, and blue eyes. She was also good-looking, but she didn't give off the same feeling as Suzy did at all. While Suzy looked cute and sweet, Petunia looked shallow and arrogant. And her behavior confirmed Rose's impressions.

"You're Rose Weasley, right?" The annoying girl went on. She didn't even wait for Rose to answer and looked at Lena, "And you're…? Oh right, you're their friend, the one who always has a ponytail. Sorry, didn't recognize you with your hair down. Lena, is that right?"

"That's right," Lena was obviously trying to keep her calm.

"You're so lucky to hang out with the three of them," she said. "I know I shouldn't say that as I'm in Ravenclaw, but I was so impressed during their last match, I almost forgot I shouldn't be rooting for them," she giggled.

"We're as lucky to have her as a friend, you know," Rose defended her best friend.

"Oh, really?" She sounded genuinely surprised, and that made the two Gryffindor girls hate her even more.

"Look, Scorpius and Damon are here," Albus quickly changed subjects, waving at the Slytherins.

_Not really helping_, Rose thought.

"Oh, you're friends with them, now? I thought you were like born enemies or something like that." For a Ravenclaw, she sounded quite dumb.

"We just weren't on good terms, that's all," Albus shortly explained as the boys were heading towards the table.

Rose's eyes widened when realizing there was only some place left next to her and Lena. _Really not helping, Albus._

What she feared happened. Of course, Damon saw Lena and started to sit next to her. Rose was praying for Lena to tell him off as she always did, but this time she didn't. She even smiled at him, obviously trying to get it back at Petunia.

"Well, hey there. You're quite sweet, today," Stones said happily.

"We're really sitting here? I thought we'll just say hi and find another table," Malfoy said, still standing up.

"And miss an opportunity to spend time with these beautiful girls?" Damon replied with a smile, before putting his arm around Lena's shoulders and whisper to her, "I'm here only for you, though."

Lena shuddered but forced a smile, "You're so sweet."

Malfoy sighed, "Alright. But you owe me one. Now I have to sit next to Weasley."

"I'm as pleased as you, don't worry," she rolled her eyes at him.

"Come on guys, try to get along," Albus pleaded.

"You're asking too much here, my dear cousin."

"By the way, congratulations for winning your Quidditch match last week," Suzy said to Scorpius, trying to change subjects and lighten the mood.

"Thank you, but it wasn't really a surprise you know."

"Talk about modesty," Rose couldn't help but retort.

"I'm just speaking the truth," Scorpius didn't blink. He wasn't really even bragging like she seemed to think: they did practice a lot, and unless Hufflepuff had a secret weapon, it was practically certain that they'd win the match looking at the stats from the previous years. But as if he'd bother telling her that.

"But your next match will be against Gryffindor. It won't be as easy," Petunia said annoyingly.

"I hope it won't. We need some competition, you know. It's more fun that way," Malfoy smiled at Albus.

"Don't worry, we're already training for it," he replied.

Petunia gasped gleefully and put her hand on Peter's right hand, "Right, I heard you had practice tomorrow, could I go see you, Pete?"

Lena and Rose nearly gagged at the way she called him 'Pete'.

"Hm, I don't know, maybe," Peter awkwardly said. Again, poor boy.

"But James doesn't really like to have people watching you know, especially when they're from other houses," Rose said, trying to help her friend.

"But our house already lost against them, so it doesn't matter," she protested.

"Yes, but regardless, it still distracts our players, right Al'?" Rose widened her eyes at her cousin.

Thankfully, he quickly caught on and played along, "It's true that James doesn't really appreciate it."

"Why are you so against me going? I won't do anything, I'll just cheer for Peter."

"Petunia, you could see him after practice. It's better for him to concentrate during practice," Suzy tried to reason her friend.

How these two became friends was a real mystery to Rose.

Petunia suddenly giggled.

"Has she gone mad?" Damon asked, and Lena chuckled.

"Petunia, what's going on?" Peter eventually asked her.

"Sorry, but I just noticed our names start the same way. Don't you think it's fate?" She looked really happy at the thought.

"I think it's just a coincidence," Rose carelessly commented, rolling her eyes. Seeing how Lena was fuming in front of her because of that crazy girl made her lose her temper.

"Why are you so interfering, Weasley? Jealous?" Malfoy whispered to her with a smirk.

"Me? Of her? Why would I be?" She chuckled.

"You tell me," he replied in a weird tone.

Rose didn't respond, thinking he was just trying to insult her indirectly since Albus was watching.

"I'll go order some more butterbeer. Do you want some, too?" Albus stood up.

Everyone said yes.

"Wait, I'll go with you, you'll need help," Suzy also stood up and followed him, successfully getting away of this weird mood.

"I'll go with you too," Peter tried to go, but Petunia made him stay.

"And abandon me? I don't think so, pumpkin." She was starting to be a little scary now.

"That reminds me, where's your pumpkin, Malfoy? I was expecting you to wear it on Halloween since you would've been right in the theme, but I was kind of disappointed," Rose mocked.

"It was thrown away. But if I find a new one, I'll give it to you. I think it'll suit you better, you already got the color, after all," he retorted.

"Oh no, don't hide that pretty face of yours, Rose," Damon couldn't help but interfere.

"Weasley? A pretty face?" Malfoy scoffed.

"Now you're saying this but…" Damon started but was interrupted by Scorpius.

"Look, Albus and the other girl are back with the butterbeer!"

Rose cast a sideways look at him, thinking he was acting weird, but then decided not to care.

After some time, Suzy politely excused herself and informed everyone she had to join some other friends with Petunia in another shop. Albus smiled at her, understanding.

Peter tried not to look too pleased by the information, while Petunia was complaining because she wanted to stay here, but finally gave in, not without a "See you tomorrow, Pete," and a kiss on his cheek.

When that annoying girl was out of sight, everyone let out a sigh.

"I thought she'd never leave," Scorpius said out loud what everyone was thinking.

"I know, right. She's a pain in the neck," Peter agreed. "I mean, literally," he added while tilting his head from side to side and massaging his neck a little.

"You didn't seem to mind too much, though," Lena retorted.

He shrugged with a guilty smile, "What can I say? I'm a weak man."

"I think you'll have to watch your back now, _Pete_," Rose mocked, saying the nickname in a high-pitched voice.

"Ha, ha," he deadpanned.

"I'm sorry, but that's your own fault for bringing her at our table."

"Hey, I was just being supportive to your cousin! He was silently begging me."

"I think you were dreaming," Albus denied.

"Yeah right, don't think I didn't notice you constantly staring at Suzy during the Charms class with the Ravenclaws," Peter said.

Albus opened his mouth, but quickly closed it again. Apparently, Peter was telling the truth.

"By the way, do you realize Petunia probably thinks you're going out already, and expects you to go with her at the Christmas ball next week?" Rose asked Peter with a smirk.

The Christmas ball had been organized every year in Hogwarts since a few years, and only 6th and 7th year students could attend, along with the teachers of course. Naturally, it wasn't on Christmas since a lot of students would be home at that time, but it took place on the second weekend of December.

"Wait, what? When did _that_ happen?" Peter exclaimed.

Albus, Scorpius and Lena were also frowning.

"The 'See you tomorrow' with a little kiss was totally to set a date with you," Damon said.

"And where were they going, again?" Rose asked knowingly.

The guys didn't seem to catch on, but Lena did, "To Gladrags Wizardwear. They're going to buy a dress for the ball."

"Exactly," she smirked.

Peter's eyes widened, "Help me!"

"Just say no when she asks you," Lena said.

"But I still need to bring a date."

"You only realized that?" The two girls exclaimed. "I told you that guy didn't have a brain," Lena added.

"I thought we could go between friends. But now that Albus probably has a date, it's over."

"By the way, you know how to choose them," Malfoy extended his clenched fist at Albus.

He smiled and bumped it with his own fist, "I know."

The others, except Damon, frowned slightly. It had already been a few weeks since Albus and Scorpius had become friends, but it was still a little weird to see them like that. Who knew they'd become such good friends? They now hung out with each other almost as much as they respectively did with Peter and Damon.

"I have to admit he's right. She seems very nice, too," Lena said.

"What should I do now? These two probably won't want to go with just me," Peter complained, referring to Rose and Lena.

"I have a date too, anyway," Rose said, surprising everyone.

"With who? Since when?" Lena asked. Even she didn't know.

"I bet you're the one who asked, and practically had to beg. I can't see someone taking the initiative to ask you," Scorpius said.

"Chace Hannigan. And _he asked me,_" she quickly glared at Malfoy before looking back at Lena, "this afternoon, before coming here."

"So that's why I couldn't find you right away," Lena said. "I'm glad for you, Rose."

"Sure you didn't use a love potion on him?"

"Quit it, Malfoy. It is not weird for me to have a date," she snapped.

"Rose is actually quite popular. She is smart, beautiful and even plays Quidditch. So it's not surprising that someone like Chace Hannigan would ask her out," Lena bragged about her friend.

Rose smiled shyly, but her mood quickly dropped when she heard Malfoy scoff.

"And do _you_ have a date, Malfoy?" She attacked.

"Not yet, I still need to choose, but there are just so many girls dreaming about going out with me that it's a difficult choice," he showed off.

"I still haven't decided either, by the way," Damon told Lena, but she just ignored him. Now that Petunia wasn't there anymore, she didn't need to fake it any further.

xxxxx

"What? You're going to take her to the ball?" Lena couldn't believe it. "You said she was annoying."

Peter shrugged, "What can I say? I needed a date, and she's not too bad."

"We could've gone together, you know. It's not forbidden to go as friends. But no, _now_ I have to find a date."

"Aren't you going with Stones?"

"What made you think that? I never said yes to him."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. Thank you very much."

"Hey, don't get mad at me because you couldn't find yourself a date. You could've told me that before."

"I only thought about it now."

"What's happening here?" Rose intervened.

"That idiot agreed to go with Petunia to the ball. And now, I'm the only one without a date," Lena snapped.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find someone soon enough," Rose assured her best friend.

xxxxx

"Hello Albus," Suzy smiled at him. She was wearing a light pink A-line dress that stopped just before her knees, with a large black satin belt on the waste line.

"H-Hi. You look stunning," he complimented her, still in awe.

"Thank you. You're not bad yourself." Albus was wearing classical black and white dress robes.

"Pete!" Petunia exclaimed as soon as she saw him. She had a one-shoulder, close-fitting red dress, a little shorter that Suzy's one.

"Hey," he gulped. Going with her wasn't a bad idea, after all.

"Let's go, then," Albus said with a smile.

When they arrived at the ball, they saw Lena. Her babydoll dress was white at the top, and the rest was black. Her hair was down and wavy. She was beautiful.

She smiled at Albus and Suzy, and greeted them happily, "Hi."

Then, she glared at Peter and Petunia, "Hi," she said coldly.

Peter decided to ignore it and looked around, "So, where's your date?"

"I'm right here," a familiar voice said from behind them.

They turned around and saw Damon Stones, holding two drinks. He went past them and handed one to Lena.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"Anytime," he said with his usual playboy look.

"Where's Rose, by the way?" Albus asked her.

"She must be around there with her date," Lena pointed her chin to the right.

Albus went there with Suzy, leaving the two other couples alone.

As soon as he had the occasion, Peter whispered to Lena, "So you still went with him, in the end. I thought you couldn't stand the guy."

She shrugged, "I decided to give it a shot. And he's not that bad after all."

"Really?"

"And what about your date, huh? Not feeling like running away yet?" She smirked.

"She's less… forward now, so it's ok."

"Good for you, then," she said before leaving him and going back to her date.

xxx

Albus and Suzy bumped into Scorpius Malfoy and Sicilia Grande while searching for Rose. The Slytherin girl was wearing a long, sleeveless black dress that looked really classy and went perfectly on her tanned skin.

"I have to say that your date is dashing, Potter," Scorpius said with a slight smile.

"I have to say that yours is too, Malfoy," he said in the same manner.

"I have to say you can speak to us directly, boys," Sicilia gave them a playful look.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Suzy said before looking over Sicilia's shoulder. "Ah, here's Rose."

Rose had noticed them and was walking towards them. She was wearing a beautiful high-low and sleeveless green dress, and had pushed her red hair on the side, her wide curls falling on her left shoulder.

Next to her was Chace Hannigan, a 7th year from Ravenclaw. He was tall, had brown slightly disheveled hair and blue eyes. Needless to say he was quite popular with the ladies.

"Al', Suzy, you look really good," she exclaimed once they were in front of them.

"You too, Rose. You're splendid!" Suzy Walker complimented her.

Scorpius stared at her a few seconds. He couldn't even find an insult to throw at her, so he just said mockingly, "So, you _can_ look like a girl."

Sicilia slightly hit his arm, "Can't you be nice to her, for once?" She then looked at the redhead, "You look marvelous."

"Why did you hit me?" Malfoy complained.

"Because you were being a jerk," she said matter-of-factly.

"Why did I ask you to come with me, again?"

"Because I'm not one of those annoying groupies of yours?" She said playfully.

"Ah, that's right. Maybe I should have taken one of them, at least they would never hit me."

"They wouldn't hit you, but they'd definitely be worse company than me, trust me."

Rose was surprised to see Sicilia Grande by Malfoy's side, and even more to see them acting like that. Although she'd often seen them together, they were always with some other Slytherins, and they barely talked to each other during class. But now, here they were, acting as though they were best friends, and she was starting to think, maybe they were.

While the two Slytherins were still laughing, she slowly leaned towards Albus, asking him quietly, "Since when are those two close?"

Albus shrugged, "Apparently they talk to each other just outside of class, since Sicilia is really serious in her work and doesn't want to be disturbed."

"So, you knew he was going to take her?" She exclaimed, but still kept her voice low.

"He told me, yes. Why?"

"You should've told me!"

"Why?" He wasn't following her.

"Because she's my potions partner," she replied as if it was an obvious reason.

"So?"

"I don't know!" She said before realizing how weird she sounded.

Albus chuckled, "Even though I've literally known you all my life Rosie, there are still times where I can't understand you."

Then, Chace extended his hand at Rose, "Would you like to dance?"

She smiled brightly, her mood suddenly up, and took his hand, "Of course."

Scorpius had stopped his friendly bickering with Sicilia when he heard Chace Hannigan talk. He made a face as he was watching them head towards the dance floor, "I swear, that guy's weird."

"Stop saying nonsense and let's go dance," Sicilia told him, taking his arm and pulling him with her.

Albus smiled at Suzy and extended his hand, "Shall we dance, too?"

She took his hand, "We certainly shall."

They all were having a lot of fun. Then, everyone began to swap partners. Like that, Rose went from Chace to James, then to Peter, and finally to Scorpius.

Of course, she wasn't pleased with this result and was clearly showing it, but still continued to dance.

"You're not too bad at this, Weasley," he said while turning her around and put his hand back on her waist.

"You neither, I have to admit," she said, still not looking at him.

"So, enjoying your date?"

"Of course, Chace is wonderful," she retorted, not really knowing why he was trying to make conversation with her. She put that on the mood and the champagne. "I didn't know you were such good friends with Sicilia, by the way."

"Our mothers are good friends, so we basically grew up together."

"Oh," she only said.

"What? Surprised I have childhood friends and that I still talk to them?"

"A little," she admitted.

"You should stop jumping to conclusions when it comes to me, Weasley. 'Cause I can guarantee you that most of the time, you're wrong," he smirked at her.

She was about to say something but it was the time to swap partners again. And she was back to dancing with her original date.

"And I finally get my date back," he said with a smile.

She smiled back and danced a little with him, before resting a little while Chace was talking with a friend of his.

Lena came and fell into the chair next to Rose.

"Where's Stones?" Rose asked.

Lena sighed, shaking her head, "Talking with other girls. I got bored and left him."

"Oh, but you're still enjoying the party?"

"Well, yes. He's not too bad, actually. When you see past all his playboy attitude, he can be quite entertaining."

"Miss Reynolds, are you by chance falling for the bad boy?" Rose gasped jokingly.

"I am not," she replied, shaking her head with a smile. "I just think I can stand him, now. As a friend, though."

"And did you tell him that?"

"I did, indeed," she said. "By the way, I saw you dancing with a bad boy, too."

"It's not like I wanted to. We swapped partners randomly and I ended up with him, that's all."

But Lena wasn't really listening anymore, too busy staring at something in front of her.

Rose looked in the same direction, and saw Peter and Petunia kissing on the dance floor.

"That idiot," she muttered.

Lena stood up, "Excuse me, but I think I need some fresh air."

Rose started to stand up too, but Lena stopped her, "Thank you, but don't worry, I'll come back in a minute."

"You're sure?"

Lena gave her a small smile, "Yes. I just need some air, it won't take long."

Rose nodded slightly. She wanted to go with her, but Lena needed some time alone and she respected that.

Chace finally came back, "Hey, sorry for making you wait."

Rose smiled, "I didn't wait long, and Lena was with me so I wasn't alone."

"Hey, Chace! Come here a minute!" Paul Livehood, another 7th year, called him. He was with a few other 7th year students, all boys.

Chace looked at Rose apologetically, "And just after I came back to you. But you can go with me, they won't bite."

Rose laughed, "No thanks, I'll leave you between men. Go, Albus and Suzy are coming here anyway."

He took her hand and gently kissed it, "I won't be long." And he went to see his friends.

"He's quite the gentleman," Suzy commented.

"Yes, he is," Rose smiled, getting a little pink on the cheeks.

"If he really was, he wouldn't have left you alone," Albus had his protective mode on.

"I told him to go."

"I have a bad feeling about him. Even James told me he didn't like him."

"That's because you're my cousins, and I love you for that, but I think I can make my own opinion about him," she smiled.

"Of course, but still, be careful," he said, not convinced and still worried about his little cousin, even if she was only two months younger than him.

"You're so cute when you act protective, you know," Suzy told him.

He looked embarrassed, and was scratching the back of his head, "Hm, thank you."

The girls laughed at his reaction.

xxxxx

Albus and Suzy had left to dance a little more, and Rose was sitting alone again.

"Did your date finally realize his mistake and abandoned you?" An annoyingly familiar voice asked her.

She glared at Scorpius, "He went to talk to some friends, and _I_ decided to stay here. And where is yours?"

"She went to the bathroom," he said while sitting next to her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Sitting," he stated the obvious.

"But why here?"

"'Cause, believe it or not, I still find you more entertaining than a wall, since you talk back to me and all."

"Too bad then, 'cause I'd rather talk to a wall than to you."

"Come on, can't you stop being so defensive for a minute?"

"Why do you even care? Do you really want us to become friends?"

"Well, not friends, but..."

She wasn't listening to him anymore once she saw Peter and Petunia, kissing again. That reminded her that Lena still hadn't returned. She should go search for her, hoping she didn't witness that again.

She quickly stood up and started to head towards the exit, but Malfoy grasped her arm, "Where are you going? I was still talking."

"I just remembered something. I have to go somewhere," she said hurriedly before moving her arm away. She glanced one last time at Peter and his date.

"That idiot!" She muttered angrily before finally leaving the room.

"Wasn't that Rose? What did you tell her this time?" Sicilia asked Scorpius, looking at the angry silhouette leaving the party.

"It wasn't me. She suddenly snapped, and I think I know why," he said, staring at the couple on the dance floor. "Not that I really care, though," he quickly added.

"You don't sound like someone who doesn't care, you know that?" She pointed out.

"I really don't, as if I was interested in Weasley's business," he denied. He stood up, "Wanna dance?"

Sicilia decided to let it go and accepted his offer. She knew there was no use arguing with him now. But she'll definitely talk to him some other time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Rose finally found Lena, sitting on a staircase not far from the dancing hall. Her shoulder and her head were leaning on the wall. Her eyes were red, and she was staring into space.

"Hey, you never came back," she gently said while sitting next to Lena.

Lena finally looked up. She didn't even have noticed her friend's presence. She straightened up and gave Rose an apologizing smile, "Yeah, sorry. It was just too hard for me."

"Don't worry, you don't have to push yourself," she put her hand on her best friend's shoulder in a comforting way.

"But you should go back, Chace must be waiting for you. You don't need to worry about me, enjoy your night," Lena managed a little smile, trying to convince Rose she was ok.

"And leave you like that? No, you already had enough time alone, I'm staying with you."

"Go, I'll keep her company," someone said. The two girls looked in front of them.

"Stones," Rose was surprised to see him there.

"Come on, go," he insisted.

Rose looked at Lena. The latter smiled, "See, I won't be alone. Now, go have some fun."

She nodded, patted one last time her shoulder, and stood up. "I trust her to you, then," she said when she was walking past him.

Damon nodded to Rose when their eyes met. Then, he went to sit next to Lena, "So, why is my lovely date hiding like this?"

"Why did you leave the party?" Lena ignored his question.

"Because my date sneaked out, so I decided to go find her. Sorry for taking that long, though. Girls can be really stubborn."

"You could've stayed with them."

"I didn't want to. They quickly bored me. So, will you tell me what happened or not?" He insisted.

"Nothing," she lied.

He leaned back and casually said, "So the nothing that made your beautiful eyes look like that, is it related to a certain Gryffindor boy and his annoying date?"

Lena's eyes widened, "How did you know?"

"You're kind of obvious, you know. I caught on when you were all smile to me while that Petunia whatever-her-last-name-is was all over Crawford, and you stopped as soon as she left," he explained.

"I'm awful, aren't I?" She let out a dry chuckle.

"If you really were, I wouldn't have taken you to the ball."

"Why did you, by the way? You knew I was just using you."

"You weren't. You clearly told me you weren't interested, and I'm not trying to make you change your mind."

"Then, why?"

"Told you, the other girls are boring. Sure, I can do plenty of things with them, but having a real discussion isn't one of them."

"You really invited me without any other thoughts?" Lena gave him a look, skeptical.

"Well, of course I wouldn't mind if you changed your mind," he started with a smirk, "But, if that's what you want, I don't mind being anything more than your friend, if you allow me to be your friend, that is." He then frowned and tilted his head, "Though it'd be the first time I'd do this with a girl. Weird."

Lena chuckled, "You're such a playboy."

"And a proud one," he grinned.

She shook her head and smiled, looking at him, "Friends, then?"

"Friends," Damon smiled back. "But don't expect me to stop being me. You're still a girl, and a really pretty one too, and I am Damon Stones."

She rolled her eyes, still smiling, "You're unbelievable."

"Come on, you love me because I'm like that," he smirked again and quickly added, "Platonically, of course."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're right," she admitted. His perpetual jokes helped her clear her head, and she was able to smile in his company.

"Still platonically?" He asked with his usual humor.

"Still platonically." She was shaking her head, again, "You're really persistent, you know that?"

He put his hands up, acting innocent, "Hey, just checking."

They stayed here, on these stairs, for some time. And laughed. And Lena managed to forget about her heartache for a moment. Who would've have thought she'd become friends with a Slytherin? And especially with Damon Stones? Life was definitely full of surprises.

xxxxx

The next day, Albus, Rose, Lena and Peter were in the common room, sitting in front of the fire.

"I'm bored," Peter said.

"Why don't you go see your little girlfriend, then?" Lena spat without thinking.

"She's not my girlfriend," he said.

"And yet you seemed pretty close last night. Literally speaking," she went on.

"Of course, did you see her in that dress? How could I resist? I'm a free man after all."

"And does she know you two aren't a couple?" Rose asked while Lena was rolling her eyes at their friend.

"Yes, she agreed too. Apparently she went with me to make her ex-boyfriend jealous. That's also why she acted like she did back at the pub, her ex was there," he explained.

"And you were ok with being used?"

He shrugged, "I don't mind being used like that. Plus, that made things easier for me, so it's all good."

"Well, I guess it's ok then," the redhead admitted, still not really getting it. But hey, boys are boys.

"What about you, Lena? You and Stones disappeared in the middle of the party," Peter asked.

She tried to hide her embarrassment and said, "I was tired of dancing, so I went out from some fresh air, and he kept me company. That's all."

"Oh, so you girls say it like that, now," he nearly accused.

"We are just _friends_. Not that it's your business," she snapped.

"Friends? With Damon Stones? Really? Since when?" His voice was a little higher than usual.

She crossed her arms, "Since last night. I realized he was actually cool."

"Great. Another one befriending a Slytherin, and Malfoy's best friend on top of it."

"Come on, I thought we were over with hating Malfoy," Albus finally spoke up.

"You are. I still can't stand him, or his friends for that matter. Rose, you're with me, right?" He said, trying to find some support.

The girl shrugged, "I still can't stand Malfoy, but I have nothing against Stones." The guy did cheer her best friend up, after all. She had to give him some credit.

"Sorry mate, you're alone on this one," Albus said.

Peter sighed heavily. "Ok, I give up."

Albus looked at the clock, "Sorry, but I have to head out."

"Meeting Suzy?" Lena teased him.

He smiled, "Yes, we're going to study together."

"Study, right," Peter said knowingly.

He ignored him, "I'll go, then." And he left.

After a little while, Rose stood up, "I'm going out a little, too."

"You're going to the library again?" Peter exclaimed, not believe one could spend that much time in that horrible place.

"No, Chace wanted me to meet him."

"So, you're official now?" Lena asked with a smile.

"I don't know, I guess I'll found out now," she said shyly. Chace had tried to kiss her goodbye after the ball, but she had instinctively backed away, though she didn't know why. It was probably too fast for her, after all she barely knew him. But he seemed really nice and, to be honest, she wasn't immune to his charms, and she really wanted to give it a try with him.

"That's great! Have fun, then!"

"Thank you," she said before leaving the common room.

"And then there were two," Lena said, quoting the Muggle book she had recently read.

"Two what?"

She sighed, "Nothing." Of course he wouldn't get it, like most of the people here.

xxxxx

Chace was waiting for her in the courtyard, and smiled when she arrived, "Hello."

She smiled back, "Hello. How was the library?"

"Silent," he joked. "And boring, I wish you'd have been with me."

"I don't think it would've been less boring, when I am studying I do nothing else, so it would've been as if I wasn't there anyway," she rambled.

"Then I would've watched you study without getting bored of it," he gently caressed her cheek with his thumb. He then took a breath and said, "Rose, listen I'm sorry for last night, I shouldn't have tried to kiss you. But that's because I really like you. So, would you like to go out with me?"

She was smiling and about to give her answer, when someone intervened from behind, "How touching. But I have to tell you, Weasley, since I'm so kind and all. We just heard him talk to his friends, he only cares about what your last name is, I think I heard the words 'not that hard to get after all' and 'new trophy' too. You didn't really believe he was genuinely interested in you now, did you?"

She turned around and saw that jerk smirking, obviously delighted with himself. Next to him was Damon Stones, who was just watching the scene and didn't really show any emotion.

"Talking about last names, I think you've got some nerve to go around shamelessly with the one you have, _Malfoy_. I never understood why they accepted you here, you son of a Death Eater. I guess it must be good to be so rich you can buy your way in Hogwarts, and your way out of Azkaban." Chace retorted spitefully.

Scorpius and Damon were taking out their wands, furious, but something so unbelievable happened they stopped.

Rose Weasley had just slapped Chace Hannigan in the face. Hard. And her eyes were full of anger.

"Why did you do that? He's the one insulting you!" Chace yelled, pointing at Malfoy. He couldn't believe it.

"You're despicable," she started in an ice-cold voice, "Do you realize you're being as bad as Death Eaters? Judging and insulting someone solely because of their parents. If you judge Malfoy like that, I'm starting to think what he said about your being after my last name only was also true."

"Rose, don't believe him. I was just angry because he insulted you, I was trying to protect you," he tried to place his hand on her shoulder, but she quickly slapped it away.

"I don't need that kind of protection," she informed him, her eyes still full of steel.

Chace narrowed his eyes, dropping the mask, "You're no better than me, you hate him because of your families' issues, too."

"No, I hate him because he's a prick, regardless of what his last name is," she deadpanned, tired of his crap.

Of course, her dad's words the first time she saw Scorpius Malfoy made her wary of him before actually talking to him, but then she'd been able to make her own opinion about him, which didn't really change anything, most to her father's pleasure: when she would talk at home about how annoying Scorpius was, her father would even encourage her, and then her mother would reprimand him for 'corrupting their daughter.' Anyway, the point was, family issues or not, she'd still dislike him.

"Oh, and I think I don't need to answer your previous question, do I?" She added.

"You're ditching me because of him?" He was getting angry now.

"I didn't realize you were such an idiot," she rolled her eyes, "One, I'm not ditching you since we weren't together in the first place. Two, it has nothing to do with him, it's because you're an arsehole. Now, piss off."

Chace looked at her, then at the two Slytherins, then at her again, "You're making a big mistake."

"On the contrary, I think I just corrected my mistake," she smirked.

Chace was fuming, he pointed at her and said, "You will regret this!" and then left, still really pissed off.

Damon and Scorpius, who had stayed silent during the whole thing, snickered.

"I have to admit, Weasley, you were kind of awesome on this one," Scorpius smirked, but his good mood quickly went down when Rose kicked him in the leg. "Hey, what was _that_ for?"

Damon tried to stifle his laugh behind his hand. This girl had guts.

"I don't care that what you said was true, don't think I would've forgotten that you told me only to hurt me, you prick!" She yelled at him, before turning around and walking away furiously.

Scorpius couldn't move because he was too shocked. Not because she'd hit him, that was bound to happen someday. But because when she yelled at him, she had tears in her eyes, and that never happened during one of their arguments. No matter what he said, no matter how harsh his words were, she'd never seemed to care. She just seemed unbreakable to him. And now he realized she wasn't, and felt a pinch in his stomach thinking he'd made her look like that.

He then felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault, mate. She just vented out her pain on you, since she held it back while that guy was still there," Damon said, as if he had read his mind.

Scorpius finally snapped out of it. He scoffed, "As if I cared, anyway."

Damon smirked as he was watching his friend walk away. He didn't believe him one second – after all, he had seen the look on his face when they heard Hannigan talk about Rose, and he had seen the look on his face just now – but he decided not to say anything.

"Hey, wait for me!" He called him while hurrying towards him.

xxxxx

Peter and Lena saw Rose enter the common room.

"Hey, how did it…" Lena started, but Rose rushed straight to the girls' dormitory, not talking or even looking at anyone.

"I'll go see what's wrong," she told Peter before going after her.

She slowly opened the door, cautious, and saw Rose lying on her bed, her face and hands on her pillow. She was shaking a little, probably because she was crying.

"Hey, Rose. What happened?" Lena gently asked her, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Rose raised her head from the pillow, said, "I'm stupid, that's what happened," and dropped her head again.

"I can assure you you're not. You're one of the smartest girls I know. Now, why are you saying that?"

Rose calmed down a little and moved into a cross-legged sitting position, "He was only interested in me because I'm a Weasley. And here I thought there was a really nice guy who liked me for me. See, I _am_ stupid."

It wasn't the first time someone approached her because of her family, but usually she'd notice almost right away. But this time, she really didn't see it coming. And _Malfoy_ knew before she did. She was feeling completely ashamed.

"I repeat, you are not stupid. We all thought he was a nice guy. You couldn't know. Now, tell me calmly what happened."

Rose told her the whole story.

"Hahaha, you're really something," Lena couldn't help but laugh at the idea of her best friend slapping one guy and kicking another within just a few minutes.

"Hey, that's not fun!" Rose rebuked, but was also smiling. "Ok, maybe a little."

"Still, I get the whole kicking the guy you were defending just a few minutes ago since, you know, he's Malfoy and he kind of deserved it, but why did you defend him in the first place?"

"Rather than defending him, I guess I was just angry at Chace for being such a despicable jerk, and even more since I didn't think he was one."

"I understand, but why didn't you let them fight? If they're both guys you don't like anyway," Lena reasoned.

Rose shrugged, "I didn't really think, I just acted."

"That doesn't sound like you."

"I know right. But it felt so great to let it all out," she was now smiling.

xxxxx

"Hannigan!" The two Potter boys yelled angrily when seeing him in a corridor, walking with two friends of his. Thanks to the Marauder's Map that James had stolen from his father's desk a few years ago, they'd found him right away.

The young man, who was laughing just a second ago, had now a surprised – and a little frightened – expression on his face as the two brothers were heading towards him. He just knew this wasn't going to be a pleasant interaction.

He quickly told his two friends to leave them alone, not wanting to be embarrassed in front of them. They obeyed. He looked around and saw that nobody else was there.

"James and Albus Potter walking alone together, that's a rare sight," he said once they were in front of him. James was the same height as him and Albus was a little shorter.

"Because it's rare that someone pisses us off that much," James narrowed his eyes. "Now I know why I've never liked you."

"If you're talking about what happened with Rose yesterday, she's the one who ditched me you know, so I don't under–"

"And we heard the reason why she did, so I wouldn't be proud if I were you," Albus cut him off. "Not from her, though. She's too nice for that. Someone who was passing by the courtyard at that time saw you."

"She wasn't 'too nice' when she slapped me," he muttered really quietly, looking away.

"What did you say?" James asked, already knowing the answer. Chace Hannigan didn't say a word. "What? Frightened? Don't worry, we're good people, we won't hurt you."

"Mostly because Rose wouldn't want us to, though," Albus added, "So, don't give us a reason to change our minds, ok? We heard you said she'll regret it, but I really hope it wasn't a real threat now, was it?"

"O-Of course not. I said she'll regret her decision because a lot of girls would've liked to be with me instead of her, that's all. Believe me!" He had his hands up, and was leaning against the wall, still being cautious. They were the Potter brothers after all; they were known to be nice guys, but you wouldn't want to fight them.

They seemed to have calmed down, and James even smiled slightly, "That's an awfully arrogant answer, but I'm fine with it. Anyway, do not mess with our little cousin anymore, understood?"

"Understood!" He nodded.

James smiled brightly, "Great. I'm happy we talked it out. We can leave now, Albus."

Albus smiled at Hannigan too, "It was a pleasure."

And they left like that. And Chace Hannigan could breathe again.

"Maybe we were too rough on him," Albus said to his brother, but didn't seem to believe his own words.

"Nope, we didn't even touch him. And now we're sure he won't do anything," James said and they exchanged a look, smirking.

Oh, cousinly love.

xxxxx

"You _threatened_ him?" Rose yelled at her two cousins in the common room. She just heard the story from another student.

"Threatened is a little too much. We just had a nice little chat with him to make sure he wouldn't mess with you again, that's all," James denied.

"That's the same thing! You just… sugarcoated it," she snapped. "I can't believe it. Why did you have to do this?"

"He made our little cousin cry, what did you want us to do, huh?" Albus said quietly, not wanting to embarrass her any further in front of the other Gryffindor students.

"I dealt with it myself. I didn't tell you for a reason. I did not want you to get involved."

"Come on now, Rose, nothing happened. They just wanted to protect you," Lena tried to reason her.

She crossed her arms, "I know. But what if you'd gotten into trouble because of this?"

"We're not stupid, don't worry. I'm Head Boy and he's a prefect, we wouldn't do anything unnecessary. We didn't even touch him."

"Fine," she finally calmed down. "Th..you."

"What?" James and Albus smiled.

"Thank you! Happy?" She snapped.

The two brothers looked at each other, then back at her, "Thrilled!"

"Oh, that's so sweet. I want a big family, too," Lena said. She was a single child and lived only with her father. She also only had one aunt that didn't even have children, so she'd never know how it was like to be part of some big family like theirs.

Albus put an arm around her shoulders and said, "Don't worry, if someone messes with you, we'll be there, too."

James did the same from the other side, "Right. Our cousin's best friend is just like our own cousin. You can count on us."

"Oh, you're so sweet!" Lena exclaimed, grinning.

xxxxx

"You know that I shouldn't be nice to you right now, right?" Albus told Scorpius while they were at the library, again.

"I know. I wouldn't be nice to me if I were you, either."

He nodded and got back to his work, "That's good you know, then."

After a few seconds, Scorpius dropped the book he was reading – or at least trying to read since he couldn't concentrate at all – on the table and said, "Won't you say something about it? I've been horrible to your cousin, and I heard Hannigan got the treatment he deserved."

"He got a warning because he needed one. He practically threatened her."

"But I made her _cry_," he snapped.

"Well I was taught not to shoot the messenger. You said the words, but she cried because of what Hannigan did. Of course, you were being a jerk to her, but she got it right back at you. So that's ok."

"You're too biased, you know that?" Scorpius joked.

"And you're acting like a masochist, you know that? Would you prefer that I call my brother, or what?"

"Well, of course not, but I thought you'd be angry at least…" Albus was known to be very protective when it came to his family, and especially when it came to Lily and Rose.

"I was at first, but then I saw you already were angry at yourself enough for both of us, which, I have to admit, surprised me a little bit," Albus gave him a look.

Malfoy shrugged, "Hey, even though I dislike Weasley, I also dislike making girls cry. And I certainly didn't think she would be one to do so."

"Of course, she always acts strong and doesn't show her weaknesses, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have any. So I'll just say this, you two can argue all you want – I don't like it since now we're friends but you won't change overnight anyway – but please, as a friend, try not to go overboard and make her cry again. Or I really will have to get involved."

Scorpius smiled, "Understood."

"Good. Now, let's get this bloody report over with," Albus took a book and started reading it.

"Right," he did the same as his friend, and this time he was able to actually read the damn thing.

xxxxx

On Monday, Scorpius was heading towards the Transfiguration class, when he bumped into Rose who was running. They both stopped right in front of the class's door, staring at each other. It was the first time he didn't know what to say to her. Should he be like always, and mock her a little, or should he ignore her and leave her alone? The image of her on the edge of tears came to his mind.

"What are you staring at, Malfoy? Move, I want to go in class," she spoke up, rolling her eyes.

And that made him go back to reality. He realized that, while he stopped because he was shocked to see her, she had only stopped because he was blocking the way.

He smirked, "Well, Weasley who doesn't come early to class, that's a first."

She sighed, "Just move, Malfoy. I don't want to be late." On her way to her class, she had realized she had forgotten her book and hurried back to her room to go get it. She had been fast enough to arrive here just on time, but no, Malfoy had to block her way in.

"That'd be really sad, indeed. Miss Perfect wouldn't be perfect anymore. It's tempting you know," he didn't move.

"You're such a child," she barked before pushing him away and entering the room.

"And you're really becoming violent these days," he said while following her into the room.

"Just around you, it seems," she retorted without looking back, going straight to her seat.

Scorpius sat at his usual desk, smirking. She seemed to be back to normal again, which meant he could taunt her how he wanted again.

"What got you in high spirits like that?" Damon asked him.

"Nothing. Everything's normal," he smiled, leaning back a little with his hands behind his head, looking at Rose probably telling Albus and Peter to hush because Professor Hoddes was coming.

"I see," Damon smirked, noticing where his friend was staring at.

Sometimes, he wondered if he really didn't know how he felt or if he just wouldn't admit it. But he sure as hell wouldn't ask him about it, he'd leave the whole talking-about-your-feelings crap to girls. Plus, it was entertaining to see his friend trying that hard to deny the obvious truth.


	5. Chapter 5

First, thank you all for your reviews, I'm really glad to know what you think about my story (:

Also, I'm going on holidays for a week and a half so I won't be able to update too soon, but I won't take too long once I'm back, I promise :)

Anyway, here's the fifth chapter, hope you'll like it!

xxxxx

* * *

xxxxx

**Chapter 5**

"Hey Scorp', I was wondering, why don't you try to be a little nicer to Rose?" The question came out of nowhere, while Scorpius was hanging out with Damon and Sicilia in the young men's dormitory.

Scorpius did not see that one coming, especially from _her_. He raised his eyebrow at Sicilia, "Since when do you care about who I'm nice to or not?"

Sicilia Grande shrugged nonchalantly, not taking her eyes off the book she was reading, "I was just thinking this would be the obvious way to become friends with her."

Scorpius snorted, "And what could possibly make you think I'd want to become her friend?"

"I just know you want to, even though you won't admit it," she said matter-of-factly.

"You've gone mad." Scorpius then looked at Damon and repeated, "I think she's gone mad."

"I don't know, mate. You did look kind of happy when she talked to you this morning," Damon pointed out.

"She didn't talk to me, she barked at me. And I wasn't 'happy'," he made a face.

"I don't understand why you're so defensive about it. You became friends with Albus Potter, why not with his cousin? Rose's pretty cool, too," Sicilia told him.

"_Rose_'s pretty cool?" He repeated as if he couldn't believe what he just heard, "One. This sentence is just wrong. Two. Are you besties now or what? Why do you call her by her first name?"

"We spent quite some time together for the Potions assignment and I came to realize she wasn't bad at all. So, I wondered why you hated her, and came to the conclusion you didn't."

"Sissy, I thought you were smart. She is Rose freakin' Weasley. The most insufferable, stuck-up, patronizing girl I've ever known," he retorted.

"That's what you're telling yourself," she argued, "Plus, she's just like that with you because you're always needling her. She's nice to everyone else."

"So this is my fault now? For your information, I tried to be nice to her, but she still acted the same way."

"See, I told you you wanted to be friends with her, or you wouldn't have even tried," she pointed out with a smile.

"I thought we should try to at least support each other's presence, but she didn't even seem able to do that, so I gave up. I tried, it's not my fault."

Sicilia rolled her eyes, "You didn't try enough. Of course she wouldn't change her attitude towards you because you were nice to second for about two minutes."

"We'll never be friends, end of the discussion," he concluded somewhat angrily.

She sighed, "Alright, I won't insist. But you have to know you're acting like a third year." She then went back to reading her book.

xxxxx

"This is finally over," Peter said gleefully while letting himself fall into the snow. They just had their last class before the Christmas holidays and were now hanging out near the lake, which was frozen.

"No more assignments for two weeks," Albus added, sitting next to his friend.

"If I were you, I wouldn't slack off too much during the holidays, the next term will be even tougher than this one," Rose said after quietly lying on the snow along with Lena. She smiled, looking at the sky, "But I have to admit, it's still good to have a little break."

"So, you're human too, I didn't know," Peter joked.

"Oh, shut up," she retorted, playfully throwing a snowball that went over Lena and right into Peter's face.

"Oh, you're going to be like that, huh?" He dared her and stood up.

Rose stood up too and began to run, avoiding the snowballs Peter was throwing at her. Lena and Albus were just watching the scene, amused.

"You suck at this, you know that," Rose mocked him and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh yeah? Then, I'll have to change of tactics," he said while taking his wand out.

But something probably went wrong with his spell since a giant snowball appeared on top of him and fell on him before he could realize what was happening. He was now totally covered by snow; only his wand and his right hand that was holding it were visible.

Rose, Albus and Lena burst out laughing.

"Great tactic indeed," the redhead told him.

"Since when do we use an actual man to make a snowman? Not that I mind, though. It suits Crawford perfectly," someone said from behind Rose.

When she turned around, she saw Scorpius, Damon and Sicilia. The two young men were smirking, while the Slytherin girl was laughing quietly.

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Of course he'd be there to make a mean remark.

"Shut up, Malpoy," Peter retorted through the snow.

"Come on guys, let's not fight, ok?" Sicilia tried to reason them.

"She's right. We're on holidays and we won't see each other for two weeks, so let's end this year on a good note," Albus added.

Now that he could move again after getting rid of all the snow surrounding him, Peter pointed his finger accusingly at Scorpius and said, "But he'b de one…" His mouth was still full of snow. He stopped to spit it and went on, "He's the one who started it!"

Scorpius merely smirked, "Come on Crawfy, they said not to fight today, don't be a child."

Albus and Lena quickly held Peter and tried to calm him down, seeing how he was raging.

Sicilia hit Scorpius' arm, "Stop it, Scorp'."

He looked at her, sighed, and looked at Albus with a little smile, "Fine, I'll won't pick up a fight." But he quickly added, "Well, I promise I'll try not to, at least."

Sicilia hit him again.

He gasped at her, "What now? That's the best I can offer. And stop hitting me."

"That'll do," Albus said and looked at Peter, "Right?"

Peter, who had finally calmed down, sighed heavily, "Right. As long as he behaves, I will too." He glared one last time at Scorpius.

Damon clapped his hands together, "That's settled then. Now, let's have some fun."

"And how, exactly?" Rose couldn't imagine having fun with Scorpius in the equation, but she decided to give the guy a chance, for her cousin's sake. And now was the best opportunity since she would be able to see how he was when he wasn't insulting her or her friends every two sentences.

"Don't ask Damon, he'll make us do something weird," Lena said.

"Tsk, tsk, you really have a low opinion of me, Lena," he acted offended, "I wouldn't make you strip in this cold weather."

"You pervert," Sicilia was shaking her head.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it. Now more seriously, how about we ice-skate on the lake?"

"Here's a good idea. I'm in," Lena agreed.

"Yeah, and the ice is strong enough, I saw some people skating on it yesterday," Peter added.

"It's been ages since I didn't do it, I'm in too. You too, Scorpius, right?" Sicilia said with a smile.

Scorpius shrugged, "Why not, it would bring back memories." He had a little lake near his house and would go skate on it with Sicilia when they were young.

Only Albus noticed Rose had been silent during the whole thing. He placed his hand on her shoulder, "Come on, let's give it a try, 'k?"

She smiled at him, "No, thanks. But you go, I know you love ice-skating, I'll just watch you from here. I've got a book that I need to finish anyway, I won't be bored."

"As if I'd let you alone when we're all having fun," he refused.

"What's going on, Weasley? Scared of a little ice?" Scorpius smirked.

"I just don't trust you with us on ice, that's different," she glared at him. As if she would admit to him she didn't know how to ice-skate.

"Ah right, I forgot," Lena finally realized. "Do you want to do something else instead?"

"No, I'm fine. I don't want to spoil your fun," Rose insisted.

"Then go with us, I'll help you," her best friend smiled reassuringly at her.

"No thanks, I don't want to give Scorpius reasons to mock me," she quietly told Lena.

"Who cares about him? He could be bad at it too for all we know. Plus, I'm sure you'll be ok. Come on, for me," she tried to convince her.

Rose sighed, "Ok, ok, I'll do it. But if I make a fool out of myself, it'll be your fault."

Lena grinned, "No problem."

They all went on the lake and cast a spell on their shoes to change them into ice-skates.

Scorpius and Sicilia were already skating really quickly, enjoying themselves. Damon and Peter somehow started a race. Albus and Lena were staying close to Rose, trying to help her.

"Albus, I got this, you can go," Lena said while holding Rose's hand.

He nodded, "Call me if you need." He then joined the others.

"Ok, let's start slowly so you can get used to the skates," Lena told her while starting to move on the ice.

At least the others weren't paying attention to them, Rose thought.

After sometime, Rose finally started to actually enjoy it, "I think I remember how this works, now."

She did try to learn how to ice-skate with her family, but as soon as she'd try her own, she'd quickly fall. She finally decided a few years ago that it wasn't for her and that it wasn't worth trying anymore.

"See, I told you you'd be ok," Lena smiled at her. "Now, I'll let your hand go –"

But Rose firmly grasped her best friend's arm, "No, no, not yet."

Lena laughed shortly, "Ok, ok, just a little more. But you'll have to try it on your own, ok?"

"Yeah, just a few minutes more," Rose said, still not confident.

After doing a few turns, Rose finally said, "I think it's ok now."

Lena smiled and let go of her hand, still skating really close to her just in case.

"You're doing well, Rosie," she smiled.

Damon came to them and grinned proudly, "I won the race."

"Congratulations," Lena deadpanned.

"Now, go skate with me," he said, taking her hand.

"But I have to watch over Rose," she told him.

"Don't worry about me, I'll go join Albus," Rose smiled at her friend, pointing her chin at her cousin who wasn't far away from them. Maybe it was because she had better reflexes now that she was older, but she felt more confident about it. "Now, have fun, too."

Damon grinned, "Perfect. You're mine now." And he took Lena away with him.

"By the way, where's Peter?" Lena asked him, not seeing the brown-haired boy.

"He should be here any time soon. He's not really fast, you know."

Rose was skating straight forward to join Albus, when she heard someone yell. She stopped to look at what was happening: Peter was coming at her at high speed, and for some reason it looked like he couldn't stop.

"Rooooose! Help meee!" He yelled, his hands up in front of him in a placating matter.

She quickly took out her wand, pointed it at him and said, "Aresto Momentum!"

Peter did stop, but too late: he'd already pushed Rose's shoulders with his hands, and she was now skating backwards too fast for her to control what she was doing. And of course she'd dropped her wand in the process.

Thankfully, when Rose was about to hit her back on a tree at the edge of the lake, Albus cast a spell so she'd rebound on it instead of crash against it. It didn't really help, though: she was now moving forward, but it made her bounce so hard that she couldn't stop herself, still not able to have a good control on her skates. And she was getting dangerously close to the one she didn't want to get close to, especially in this kind of situation.

And that's how she collided with Scorpius Malfoy, and fell completely on him. Scorpius was now lying on the ice, Rose on top of him, her head on his chest.

"Are you ok, you two?" She heard Albus call them.

She raised her head slightly, only to see Scorpius smirk, "I didn't know you were the type to throw yourself at men, Weasley."

"As if I did _that_ on purpose, you prat," she retorted angrily, trying to stand up. But she fell right back on him. Could this situation get any worse?

"Easy, there. You're crushing me," he told her, "I guess I'll have to do all the work." He took her by the shoulders and slowly pushed her to the side in order to free himself. She was now lying on her back next to him.

He stood up effortlessly, "I feel better now." Then, he held out his hand at her to help her stand up.

She merely stared at it. The others were all next to them by now.

He frowned and dropped his hand, sighing, "You really don't trust me, do you?" He then looked behind her, and said somewhat coldly, "You help her."

Rose was frowning at his reaction, when she felt two pairs of hands helping her up. She thanked Albus and Peter, but couldn't stop staring at Scorpius. For a second, it felt like he was… hurt? And why was she feeling guilty because of _him _anyway?

She'd hesitated taking his hand just because she was afraid to lose her balance again, and crash on him, again. But she didn't say anything, why should she justify herself to him?

Instead, she glared at Peter, "What did you do? Did you cast a spell on your skates or something?"

Peter looked guilty, "I was too far behind Stones in the race, so…"

"So, you cheated. And lost control of your spell, to top it all," she rebuked.

"Sorry. And thank you, you know, for stopping me."

She sighed, "I wasn't quick enough, though."

"You still were brilliant! I don't know what I would've done without you," Peter exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, you're sorry and thankful, we get it," Scorpius rolled his eyes, obviously annoyed with those two.

Rose glared at him. What was wrong with him, seriously?

"Anyway, everybody's fine, that's what's important," Albus tried to lighten the mood.

"Albus is right, let's not fight, shall we?" Lena added.

"Yeah, let's skate!" Peter agreed joyfully.

The others gave him a look.

"I won't use magic again, I promise," he added, his hands up.

Lena smiled, "Let's go, then." She took him by the arm.

"Hey I thought you were keeping _me_ company?" Damon yelled at her while she was going away from them with Peter.

"I'm not keeping company to anyone, I'm just enjoying myself," she told him with a playful smile.

Damon sighed, and looked at Sicilia, "I guess I'll have to take you, then."

He took her by the hand and they both joined happily the other two, but not without Sicilia chuckling and telling him ironically, "Right, because you're asking me so sweetly."

"Albus!" It was Suzy's voice. She was waving at him.

Albus smiled, giving a tap on Scorpius' arm with the back of his hand while staring at Suzy, "Watch over Rose for me, will you?" And he also went away, greeting his girlfriend.

"Hey, I'm not a child, I don't need to be watched over! And certainly not by Malfoy," Rose complained loudly but he just waved his hand at her, not even bothering turning around. She crossed her arms, "That guy really, he has no loyalty once he's got a girl."

"Let him be," Scorpius told her, then looked at her, "So, do you want join the others or do you intend to just stand here for the rest of the afternoon?"

"No, I'll join the others," she said, starting to walk towards them, but she quickly lost her balance as she had forgotten she wasn't wearing regular shoes. One hand on her left shoulder and another on her right arm kept her from falling.

"You're welcome," Scorpius said. "I guess you really do need to be watched over."

"I just didn't pay attention, it won't happen again," she said shortly, trying to hide her embarrassment.

That's why she'd given up on ice-skating: everyone in her family had tried to teach her, but she didn't know why, as soon as she'd slightly lose her concentration, she'd forget everything she was taught. She didn't know why though, she usually was really good at keeping her concentration and at memorizing things. Even when she was doing so well just a few minutes before, she still would have fallen after making two steps if Malfoy hadn't been there. Yep, she clearly was a lost cause when it came to ice-skating.

"Prideful much? You have the right not to be good at something, you know," he told her. "Now, let me help you," he extended his hand.

She frowned, suspicious, "Why would you?"

"'Cause then we'll be able to finally join the others and I won't be alone with you anymore," he answered.

"When you put it that way…" She slowly took his hand.

"So, you can trust me, after all," he smirked.

"If I fall because of you, I'll hex you," she said, not looking at him.

"You won't, I'm good at this," he told her and starting skating, pulling her with him.

When he saw she was doing well, he quickly speeded up, enjoying the feeling it gave him. Of course, it wasn't as fun as flying on his broom, but it still felt good.

"Hey, aren't we going a little too fast? We just have to join the others, and they're right here," Rose was starting to regret trusting him.

"Reynolds didn't make you go at that speed, did she?" It wasn't really a question, "If you want to really enjoy this, you have to do it like that."

He gathered more and more speed, and she followed – she didn't really have the choice anyway.

"You're a quick learner, you know. A lot of people would have fallen already."

"Then why are we doing this, if you knew I'd probably fall?" She couldn't believe him. He really didn't care about the others.

He smirked at her, "I had a feeling it'd be ok for you. And I was right. Miss Perfect, indeed."

"You were just lucky." And it was probably because she had been taught that like a hundred times already.

"By the way, you do know how to stop, right?" He then asked her.

"You ask me that _now_?" That guy was unbelievable. "I do, I think."

"Great, 'cause we're going to finally join the others, and I wouldn't want you to crash into someone, again. First, let's slow down."

Once they were slow enough, Scorpius led her towards their friends, and they stopped right in front of Albus and Suzy, without any accident. The others gathered around them.

"Not bad, Weasley. You're probably faster than Crawford, now," Damon said.

"I didn't really do anything, though," she replied.

Peter eyed Rose, seeing how she was still holding Scorpius' hand. When she realized it, she quickly moved it away, not noticing the weird look Scorpius was giving her.

"You know, when I told you to watch over her, I didn't mean to turn her into a pro," Albus joked.

Scorpius shrugged, "I can't help it when I'm on the ice."

"That, I can confirm," Sicilia said.

"Hey, she didn't fall, and now she's ok on ice, I think I did pretty well."

"I still can't believe she actually accepted to do this," Albus commented.

"Stop talking as if I weren't there," Rose said. "And I didn't accept anything. He just went full speed without asking me," she glared at him and looked back at Albus, "Never, ever trust me to him again. Understood?"

"It's not that bad, come on," her cousin said.

"You really have no loyalty," she retorted.

Lena stretched out and looked at the sky, "No wonder I'm tired, the sun is already setting."

"Right, let's go back," Peter said.

"What?" After all she did to get there. But they just ignored her and went on. At least, she could follow them on her own without any problem, now.

And that's how their last afternoon together of the year ended.

xxxxx

"I see you followed my advice," Sicilia told Scorpius as they were heading back to their common room along with Damon.

"What advice?" He asked.

"To be nicer to Rose. I guess it worked since she didn't seem to mind you too much at the end," she teased him.

"I think you saw wrong. She stayed with me because she didn't have a choice, I was going so fast she would've never handled it if she'd let go of my hand." And she quickly let it go once she was in front of Crawford, but whatever.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, were you by chance going fast only in order to keep her by your side?" She joked.

"And why would I do that? To get even more yelled at? I'm not a masochist."

"Stop denying it. You want to be on good terms with her but your stupid pride won't let you," she insisted.

"And that's why I hang out with very few girls. You always see more than what it really is."

"Let him be, he's just in denial right now," Damon quietly told Sicilia.

"What did you tell her, Damon?" Scorpius asked suspiciously.

"To leave you alone, she probably won't change your mind anyway."

"And you're right." They were now at the entrance of the Slytherin Dungeon, "_Viperinae_." The door opened, and they went in.

xxxxx

"So, what will you do during the holidays?" Rose asked Lena, as they were sitting on her bed.

"The usual I guess, celebrating with my family, playing basketball with the guys of the neighborhood... But I don't think I'll go anywhere special," she said. "And you?"

"I won't go anywhere either. Well, beside to Albus' house but that doesn't count. We'll be able to see each other this time," Rose smiled.

"Of course, don't worry."

"I'll tell you when Peter comes over, if you want," she teased her.

Lena's cheeks turned a little pink, but she changed the subject, "Do you think Albus will invite Scorpius over now that they're friends?"

"Yeah, probably not happening. They may be good friends, but not enough for Albus to invite Malfoy over, especially during holidays where we're all there. My dad would totally freak out," she laughed at the idea.

"Well, they're already really close, so it might happen someday."

"Merlin forbid! Why should I put up with him even on holidays?"

"But you were getting along just fine a few hours ago, skating hand in hand," it was Lena's turn to tease Rose.

"It was that or falling. But he's still a selfish and arrogant prick."

"That's because you only see him as a prick. I'm sure that if you try to actually talk with him without ending up arguing you'll hate him less. Albus did it and it worked, after all."

"You only say that because now you hang out with his best friend. Plus, what you said implied that he wouldn't argue either, which is probably impossible. He always finds something to taunt me."

"That's the problem. If both of you wait for the other to change, it won't work. Someone has to do the first step, and then the other will eventually do the same."

"It's not like I want to be friends with him, anyway. So why bother?"

"Because now you'll probably often have to spend a few hours together since we're all friends. And hating someone is just too tiring. You don't even need to become friends, you just have to stand each other."

Rose sighed, "Well, I won't see him for two weeks, anyway. But for you and Albus, I'll try when we come back. But I can't promise anything."

"That's enough for me," Lena smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Everyone, dinner's ready!" Ginny Potter called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Comiiing!" Albus and Rose yelled back from Albus' bedroom. They went down and sat at the table. Their fathers were already sitting at the table, talking together.

"Ah, you're here. Could you got get Lily and Hugo, please? They're playing outside," Albus' mother told them.

"I already called them, Ginny. They should come in a moment," Hermione Weasley smiled at her sister-in-law.

Rose and Albus left them alone and joined their fathers at the table.

"Perfect, thank you Mione," she then got back to the stairs and yelled, "James! Quickly come down!"

But just as she finished her sentence, her older son poofed right next to her, making her slightly jump. He smiled innocently at her reprimanding face, "What? You're the one who told me to come quickly."

She sighed, "Whatever, go sit at table."

He beamed at her before going.

Hugo and Lily came into the house, running happily. Lily touched the front door and exclaimed, "I won! I get your dessert!"

Hugo sighed heavily, "Fine."

They both went to sit with the others. The food was on the table, and everyone began to eat.

Rose smiled. Sometimes, she would almost forget they didn't live together. It was clear they had two different houses, but they'd always be together during the holidays, at one place or another. The only thing that would change would be the decoration. All of their parents would be at work during the day, but they'd all have dinner together.

Right now, Rose and Hugo were staying at the Potters' house for a few days. As usual, Hugo was sleeping in one of their guest rooms (Harry and Ginny quickly realized they had to make a lot of space for family reunions, and ever since they had this house, these reunions mostly took place here), and even though Rose could also have a room on her own, she slept in Lily's bedroom, since they both liked it that way.

"So, I heard you found yourself a cute girlfriend, Albus," Ron Weasley smiled while eating.

Albus choked on his food a little, taken aback, but still responded once his mouth was empty, "Ah, yes."

"Ah, young love. Good times," he said nostalgically.

"Don't talk as if you were popular back then," Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"But I was," he exclaimed.

"Keep telling yourself that," Ginny mocked.

"But I was," he said in a pouty voice, while looking at Harry, silently asking for his support.

His best friend shook his head and smiled, "Of course you were, Ron."

"You're mocking me too, aren't you?" He suspected.

"A little," Harry admitted.

"Well, maybe I wasn't especially popular, but I did get the best girl out there, and that's all that matter," he smiled proudly.

"That, I agree," Hermione said.

"Took you long enough, though," Harry joked, remembering all the drama they went through before actually going out. "Anyway," he concluded and turned his attention back to his son, "Are you going to invite your girlfriend over during the holidays?"

And Albus choked on his food again.

"Guys, leave the poor boy alone," Hermione said.

"What? I'm curious about the girl my son likes, it's natural."

"I have to admit, I am too," Ginny added.

"She's abroad with her parents, so we won't be able to see each other during the holidays," Albus finally told them.

"Oh, that's a shame, we could use some new faces around here," Harry said.

"Maybe Ally can invite his new friend, then. He definitely never came here," Lily chimed in.

"A new friend? Who?" Ginny asked.

"I guess she's talking about Scorpius," he replied casually.

"Wait, Scorpius? As in Scorpius _Malfoy_?" Ron exclaimed.

"That's the one, yeah," he said without blinking.

"Didn't you have a detention because you fought again, this year?" Harry said.

"Yes, we did. And that's when he helped me when I was about to fall from a cliff. And then, we had to do an assignment together and after spending some time with him, I realized he was nice. So yeah, now we're good friends," Albus explained.

"It's great that you could put your mutual resentment aside, I'm proud of you, son," Ginny smiled.

"Aren't you guys a tad bit shocked?" Ron said.

"I can't say I saw that one coming, but that's all," Harry shrugged.

Ron's eyes widened as if he just had a revelation, "But if he's Albus' friend, that means, Rose is also hanging out with him."

"Don't worry, we are still far from being friends," Rose deadpanned, "Or even from tolerating each other, for that matter."

"That's my girl," he beamed proudly.

"Ron," Hermione warned him.

"But he's still a good boy, isn't he?" Ginny asked, worrying a little about her son.

"Don't worry, Aunt Ginny, he's not corrupting your son, if that's what you're afraid of. I just don't like him."

"She's really stubborn," Albus added as an explanation.

"Oh we know," Hermione smiled.

"Since when do they make students from Gryffindor and Slytherin work together, anyway?" Ron finally realized after remembering what Albus had said.

"That's because of Professor Hazebrown, she teaches Potions, she's new and wanted to be innovative I think…" Lily started to explain.

xxxxx

"Why aren't you wearing your jumper?" Rose asked Lily. They were hanging out in her bedroom. Rose had the infamous Weasley jumper on, and hers was purple with a big light-blue 'R' on it. Molly Weasley still made them for every Christmas, though she only made them for her grandchildren now, much to Ron's pleasure.

"I don't want to," Lily said.

"I don't even get why you care about how you look here. You're at home. Even James puts his on."

"James doesn't care about fashion. I do," she said. She then took her jumper and took a second look at it. It was green and the letter 'L' was white. "No, I really can't."

"Lena's here!" Ginny called her from downstairs.

A big smile appeared on Rose's face. She immediately stood up from Lily's bed and left the room.

"Lena, I missed you!" She quickly hugged her best friend.

"Me too, Rosie!" Lena Reynolds beamed at her. She looked around, "I always find it funny when I come to Albus' house to see you."

"His house, my house, it's the same. You're always welcome," she assured her.

"Indeed, you're even talking as if it was your house," Lena chuckled.

Rose laughed, "Come on, let's go upstairs. I have to give you your gift."

They came into Lily's room. Rose went look for Lena's gift.

"Hey, Lily, how are you?" She greeted the young girl with a smile.

"I'm great, the good side of having an enormous family is that you got tons of presents," Lily beamed, "Now, I don't need to buy clothes for at least a month. And you, how was your Christmas?"

"It was probably quieter than yours, but I guess it's pretty much the case of everyone else," she joked.

"You're probably right," Lily agreed.

Rose came back with the gift, "Here."

"The usual I guess?" Lena asked knowingly and unwrapped it. It was also a jumper, but hers was beige and had a dark red 'L' on it.

"Where's Albus by the way?" The brunette asked.

"He must be in his room with Peter, let's go see them."

"Peter's here too?"

"Yeah, he arrived yesterday," she said, already walking towards her cousin's bedroom.

Rose quickly knocked and opened the door without waiting for a response, exclaiming, "Hey guys! Look who's there!"

"Hey Lena," Albus smiled.

"Hey, Albus," she looked around, "Peter isn't with you?"

"Hm…" Albus hesitated, casting a sideways look at the other side of his bed.

"Why is he hiding?" Rose asked him.

"Well…"

"Oh, come on, what's wrong?" The redhead was getting curious and went to see by herself, followed by Lena and Lily.

When they saw him, they immediately burst out laughing. Peter's face and hands – and probably the rest of his body – were dark blue.

"That's not funny!" Peter yelled.

"Let me guess, another spell gone wrong?" Rose said, holding back her laughter.

"He wanted to change the colour of his jumper," Albus explained.

"I don't understand what happened," Peter said.

"How did you do it?" Rose asked him.

"Like that," he took the jumper with his left hand, and pointed his wand at it.

"Stop, I know what happened. The spell just touched your hand instead of the jumper. It's common sense not to hold the object while using a colour change charm." she told him.

"You're unbelievable," Lena shook her head at him.

"Don't you know how to make me go back to normal?"

"I do. But I don't know if I want to do it. Blue goes pretty well on you," Rose mocked. "Right, Lily?"

"Well, blue is a good colour. Though it may look bad when you'll wear your Gryffindor robe," the young girl said.

"Rose!" He complained.

"Alright, alright," she laughed and took her wand out, "_Colovaria Re__ver__so._"

And Peter's skin slowly turned back to its original colour. He looked at his hands, smiling. "Thank you."

"Seriously, what would you do without me?" She told the boys.

"I'd ask Lena," Peter joked.

"So I'm only the third choice? Talk about a best friend," Albus said.

"Seeing how you did nothing just now, of course you come after."

"But that was just too funny," Albus smirked.

"Talk about a best friend," Peter copied him.

"And what makes you think _I_'d help you, huh?" Lena asked jokingly.

"Because you're a nice girl?"

"Well, that depends with who", she replied.

Peter sighed, "Ok, I get it, I can't rely on anyone here. Nobody likes me."

"Hey, I helped you, you ungrateful prat," Rose hit his arm, but she was still smiling.

"Right. Thank you, Rose," he grinned at her. "At least one person who likes me," his brooding expression was back.

Lena rolled her eyes, "Oh stop it, no one believes in your little act."

"Really? I think I was pretty convincing."

"A toad would have been more convincing," she retorted.

"Hey!" He looked at the other three.

Rose just and Lily shrugged.

And Albus merely said, "Don't try to become an actor, mate."

"I'm sure I can act well, I don't really care but just to show you," he argued.

"Yeah, sure," they didn't seem convinced at all.

xxxxx

It was now New Year's Eve. Lena and Peter were still at Albus' house. There were also Albus' and Rose's grandparents and uncle George with his wife, Angelina and their children, Fred and Roxanne.

It was still quite calm compared to the other years. Indeed, Percy, his wife Audrey and their daughters were celebrating with Audrey's parents, and William and Fleur Weasley had taken a vacation to go see their youngest son Louis who had joined his uncle Charlie abroad to study dragons under his supervising. Louis' sisters couldn't come either: the oldest, Victoire, was on a trip with her fiancé Teddy, and Dominique was on a Curse-Breaker mission in Egypt for Gringotts.

The four 6th year students were hanging out in Albus' room.

"So, what are your resolutions this year?" Lena asked the others.

"I gave up making resolutions, they never last more than a few days anyway," Peter shrugged.

"I keep mine," Rose said.

"Yeah, right. And what were your resolutions for this year?" Peter asked her, suspicious.

"Working hard at school and try to be the best candidate for the Head Girl post next year," she explained with a proud smile.

Albus and Lena exchanged an amused look, and Peter rolled his eyes, "That doesn't count. You've always worked hard. New Year's resolutions must be something you new you'd like to do."

"Well, the year before I wasn't trying to be a good candidate for Head Girl, so technically, it works."

"No, it doesn't!" Peter shouted.

"Come on Peter, let her be. At least she doesn't say something she knows she won't do like us," Albus commented.

"Exactly," Rose nodded proudly.

"How about we find a motivation for us to keep our resolutions this year?" Lena suddenly said.

Her friends frowned at her, and said together, "Like what?"

"I don't know… Like a sanction for those who don't keep their promise."

"I don't like this, I'll definitely get the sanction," Peter disagreed.

"That's because you think like that that you never keep them," Rose shook his head.

"Then, my resolution is to practice even harder than now at Quidditch," Peter said.

"Of course you will, even if you don't want to James will make all of us practice harder," Rose argued.

"Ah! You said it yourself," Peter pointed his finger at her in victory. "This resolution is no different from yours."

Rose opened her mouth to argue, but quickly closed it again. He had a point on this one.

"I know. Let's all say a resolution, and then the others have to valid it," Albus suggested. "Something you wouldn't usually do even though it'd be good for you to do so."

Lena nodded, "I think that's a good idea."

Rose shrugged, "Why not?"

"Ok, but what would be the sanction?" Peter asked.

"Don't know. A dare. Like doing something embarrassing in public," Lena said.

"Let's say walking around in Hogsmeade a whole day with embarrassing clothes on. And we'll see what kind of clothes for each person later?" Albus suggested.

The others agreed.

"So, who begins?" Lena asked.

They all looked at the others, and Albus finally spoke up, "I guess I will."

"Great, so what's your resolution?" Lena asked him.

"I'll review my lessons regularly, and not only a few days before the exams."

Peter, Rose and Lena thought about his suggestion a few seconds and agreed to it.

"You've been telling us that since second year but never did, so it counts as a resolution," Rose said.

"Then, I'll try not to blow anything up during class," Peter said.

His friends looked at each other, and nodded, "Fair enough."

"And you, Lena?" Albus asked her.

Lena looked at the floor, embarrassed, "I do have an idea but…"

"But what? Just say it," Peter told her.

"Yes, we won't laugh or anything, if that's what you're afraid of," Rose encouraged her.

"Fine. If – only if – I have someone I like, I'd like to stop worrying about what could happen and just be honest with my feelings."

"What's gotten into you? That's surprisingly very girly of you," Peter commented, and then gasped, "Wait! Does that mean you already like someone? It's not Stones, is it?"

"Of course not! And I said _if_," Lena shouted back.

Peter narrowed his eyes, "Then, why are you denying it so vehemently?"

"Because I'm tired of always saying the same thing. And what if it was him, huh? Why do you care so much anyway?"

"I care because," he stopped for a second, "because I'm your friend. And as a friend, I have to tell you I don't like that guy."

"Well, Rose and Albus are my friends too, and they aren't saying anything," she retorted. "But it's not even relevant since I do not like Damon."

"Then, who?" The brunet insisted.

"Not your business."

"So you do have someone you like," he accused her. "Tell us, or we won't be able to know if you made some effort or not."

"Since it's a personal matter, she may not want to talk it to you guys, who talk without thinking," Rose chimed in, helping her best friend. "So, how about she tells only me?"

"Whatever," Peter was sulking, crossing his arms and looking away.

"That's fine with me," Albus said.

Lena smiled at Albus, and then at Rose, "Thanks."

"So the only one left is you, Rose," Albus told her.

"But I can't find something I don't usually do but should do," she said.

"You're incredible," Peter exclaimed, apparently already done pouting.

"Well, the usual ones won't work for me. I mean, I can't suggest anything about studies since you won't valid it, I help my parents when I'm home, I don't see myself as someone who's shy, I am nice to everyone but I can stand for myself when needed…" Surprisingly, she was enumerating this list without even sounding patronizing. She genuinely couldn't find anything.

Albus and Lena held back a chuckled while listening to her, while Peter whispered to them, "Is she seriously basically telling us she's perfect without even realizing it?"

This made Rose stop enumerating, "What did you say?"

"Maybe we should try to find something for you," Lena said.

"How about trying to find a boyfriend?" Peter mocked.

"I don't want to find a boyfriend because of a bet," she refused without blinking. But she couldn't help but add, "And I've already had a few, so it's not something unusual."

"She's tough," Peter admitted.

"I know!" Lena suddenly exclaimed, catching her friends' attention. She looked at Rose, and smiled a little, "Before, you said you were nice to everyone, but there is someone you're never nice to."

Albus smiled too, catching up, "Ah, right. You'll have to be nice to Scorpius Malfoy."

Rose immediately argued, "Hey, how can I be nice to someone who always mocks me, huh? I won't put up with his insults just because you're his friends now or because of a bet."

"I'm not his friend," Peter automatically said.

"Then, how about… Try to make your relationship with him better? If you genuinely try to be nice and not on the defensive all the time, but it still doesn't work, then it's not your fault. Just don't automatically start a fight with him when you're in the same room," Lena reasoned.

Rose sighed heavily, giving up, "Fine, I guess I can do that at least. I promised you to try anyway."

Lena beamed at her, "Perfect."

"_But_," Rose added, "Malfoy can't know I'm doing this bet. Or else he'll make it hard for me on purpose so I'll get the dare."

"Ok, we won't tell," Lena agreed, then looked at the boys, "Right?"

Peter held his hands up and said, "Don't look at me, why should I even talk to Malfoy in the first place?"

"I won't tell him either, I promise," Albus assured them.

"Fine, it's settled then. Now, how long will this bet last? An entire year seems too long, how about until the end of the school year?" Lena said.

"Wait, then it's easier for you than for us," Peter argued. "While we will have to make an effort not to break our resolution until the time limit, you'll just have to do yours before the end of it. That's not fair."

"I guess he's right," Albus agreed.

"Then, let's do this until the end of February, that would make two months. It's not too long for us, and it's short enough for Lena's resolution to be challenging," Rose said.

Just after they all agreed to Rose's idea, Rose's mother called them, telling them it was almost midnight and to go down to see the fireworks with everyone. The teenagers smiled and rushed down. The Weasley's fireworks were no joke.

When they went outside, they saw Hugo being chased by James and Fred, probably playing, while Lily and Roxanne were talking about how excited they were to watch the fireworks. Ron and George were checking one last time their devices, and the other adults were standing on the porch, waiting and keeping an eye on their children.

Then, a magical countdown appeared in the sky, and when it hit number 0, the real show started. A New Year had officially started.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Ah, Albus, Rose. I was lookin' fer yeh," Hagrid called them when he saw the two cousins hanging out outside.

"Hagrid, Happy New Year," they greeted him together once he was in front of them.

"Thanks, Happy New Year ter yeh too," he beamed at them.

"So, why were you looking for us?" Albus asked him.

"Ah, right. I got a surprise fer yeh. Come in abou' an hour at me hut. Oh, an' tell lil' Malfoy ter come, too."

Rose frowned, "Malfoy? Why?"

"I think he migh' be interested, too," Hagrid answered vaguely, "See yeh, then."

"What, even Hagrid likes him, now?" Rose exclaimed once their big friend had left.

Albus gave her a look, "Don't forget what you promised."

"Yes, I know, try to get along with Malfoy," she rolled her eyes.

"Exactly, let's see how you'll do then. You haven't talked to him yet."

"You said not to fight, you didn't say I had to actually talk to him," she argued.

"Always twisting my words," he joked.

"Anyway, I guess we'll have to find him," she stood up.

xxxxx

"Again, are you sure he asked me to come?" Scorpius asked as the three teenagers were walking down the hill to go to Hagrid's hut.

"Yes, he did. Believe me, I made him repeat it," Rose told him.

"And he didn't tell you the reason?"

"He just said he had a surprise for us," Albus replied before halting, noticing something. He smiled, "And I think I know why he asked you to come."

Rose and Scorpius looked at was he was staring at. Hagrid was in front of his hut, but there were also three hippogriffs. They were the ones they had approached during their detention: Spicytail, Salamander and Becky.

"So, that was his surprise," Rose smiled and rushed down, the two boys following her.

When Hagrid saw them, he grinned, "Ah, yeh're here. Jus' in time. I jus' got those brave guys ready."

"Ready for what?" Scorpius asked.

"For a ride, I thought yeh'd like ter try," he said. He smiled at Albus and Rose, his hands on his belly, "Consider this me Christmas gift fer yeh."

Salamander got close to Scorpius, touching him slightly with his beak, as if he wanted Scorpius to pet him.

Hagrid smiled and told Scorpius, "An' since Salamander seemed ter like yeh so much, I thought yeh should come, too."

"You want us to ride them? Are you sure?" Rose looked a little worried.

"Yeah, yer parents rode one when they were even younger than yeh. 'S no big deal, really. An' yeh'll love it."

Albus grinned, petting Spicytail, "We really can?"

Hagrid laughed, "O' course, that's why I told yeh ter come."

He suddenly lifted Albus up and put him on Spicytail, "C'mon, let's give it a try."

He did the same with Rose, even though she resisted a little, telling him to put her down.

And he finally put Scorpius on Salamander.

"Woh," the Slytherin said as he was being moved by the big guy.

"Hagrid, I'm not sure this is a good…" Rose started to say, but Hagrid wasn't listening and slapped the three hippogriffs' butts, making them run all at once.

Just a few seconds later, they all were in the air.

At first, the three students didn't know what to do, but once they were used to be on these beautiful creatures, they could finally enjoy this.

They flew above the lake, made a few turns, and finally heard Hagrid's whistle.

Albus was the first one to land on earth.

"That was awesome," he beamed as Hagrid was helping him down.

"See? Told yeh you'd love it," Hagrid smiled proudly. Then he looked up, "Where are Rose an' Scorpius?"

"They were right behind me when you whistled, so they should be here in a second."

But there were no signs of them. Apparently, the two other hippogriffs didn't want to come back just yet.

xxxxx

"Hey, why aren't we going back?" Rose worried, seeing how Becky was going even farther away.

"I think they want to play some more," Scorpius shouted back at her, Salamander flying next to Becky.

Suddenly, the two creatures began to dive really fast towards the forest. Rose and Scorpius yelled, seeing the trees getting dangerously closer.

"What are they doiiing?" Rose screamed.

"I don't know! But you'd better keep your head down," Scorpius shouted, putting his own head down in order to avoid the branches.

They thankfully landed without any problem. The teenagers carefully got off the hippogriffs as the latter bent down to make it easier for them. As soon as Rose and Scorpius were on the ground, Becky and Salamander went to the water source next to them and started drinking from it.

"So, they were just thirsty," Scorpius concluded.

"But why here? We were just above the bloody lake for Merlin's sake. It would have saved us some fright."

"Don't ask me. Maybe they like it more here, who knows," Scorpius shrugged.

"You actually might be right. I recognize the place, I went with Hagrid last time to search for the other hippogriffs," she said, looking around.

"Ah right, while we were being chased by acromantulas. Ah, good times," the young man said sarcastically.

"I wonder if Albus is with Hagrid now," she thought out loud.

"Probably. I saw Spicytail go back while these two didn't," he said, "I hope they'll quickly decide to go back, too. I don't like to stay around here for too long." He instinctively looked around, worried that something would come at them.

"Well, with these two with us, I don't think we're in danger," Rose said, referring to the hippogriffs.

"How long are they going to keep drinking, anyway?"

"I don't know, but the only thing we can do is wait," Rose replied, sitting on the ground.

Scorpius sat next to her, sighing, "Let's just hope we won't have to wait too long."

"Still, why Albus' hippogriff didn't come here?"

"Why, missing your dear cousin already? Or you just wished you weren't alone with me?" Why did that sound like an accusation?

She looked at him strangely, "No, I genuinely wondered why. Hippogriffs tend to move in pack, so I thought that the three of them would stay together." For once, she really didn't mean anything more than that, which surprised her now that she thought about it.

Scorpius looked in front of him, and raised his eyebrows, "Guess I found the reason."

Rose frowned and looked at the two hippogriffs. She now understood what he meant: the two were really close as Becky was nestling up against Salamander, making them look like a couple.

"So that's how it was," she commented, smiling.

Scorpius stared at her, surprised to see her smile like that. Of course, he'd witnessed her smiling and laughing heartedly when she was with her friends, but it never happened with him as close to her as he was right now, and let alone with nobody but him around her.

"Rose Weasley smiling in front of me, that's a first," he said out loud.

"Well, I usually smile a lot. There's nothing to be surprised of."

"There is. You're always scowling at me, it's the first time I see you letting your guard down around me," he said, "When I think about it, it's weird we're not even fighting already."

"I promised Albus and Lena that I'd try to tolerate your presence," she informed him, "and that I wouldn't start a fight with you without any reason."

"That's refreshing. You're almost likeable when you're like that, you know Weasley," he smirked slightly.

"As if I wanted to hear that from you," she deadpanned.

"And you're back to being yourself again," he noted.

She ignored him, and stood up, "They seem to be done. Come on, let's go back."

Scorpius stared at her for a few seconds while she was getting on Becky, pondering, before also standing up and hop on Salamander.

When they finally landed next to Hagrid's hut, the big guy and Albus rushed towards them.

"What took you so long?" Albus asked them.

"They decided to go to that river from the other time to drink," Rose explained once she was on the ground.

Hagrid put his left hand on his hip and pointed his finger at the two creatures with his right one, "Bad creatures, comin' back so late an' all, yeh made me worry." He turned his attention back to the teenagers, "Sorry fer that. These guys gave yeh a fright, didn't they?"

"Well, only when we almost hit one tree or two," Scorpius said.

"To be honest, I was more worried about you two being alone together. But it doesn't seem like you fought," Albus told them.

"It's kind of hard to fight when you're on a hippogriff that does whatever it wants after all," Scorpius explained.

Albus chuckled, "I guess it is."

"Anyway, I've had my share for the day. Let's go," Rose said. She smiled at Hagrid before going, "Thanks for the ride, I still had a lot of fun."

"I imagine you didn't become friends while being alone together, did you?" Albus asked rhetorically Scorpius while watching his cousin walk away on her own.

"What do you mean? We're best friends now, can't you see?" The Slytherin joked.

Albus chuckled and gave Scorpius a tap on his arm, "Come on, let's go too."

They quickly thanked Hagrid before following Rose's steps.

"Come back whenever yeh want, I'm sure these three will be real happy!" They heard Hagrid shout from behind.

"We will!" Albus yelled back, smiling and waving at the big guy.

xxxxx

"So, for this term, you will have a new assigned partner. Still from the other house, I saw how well it worked the first time so I'll keep it this way," Professor Hazebrown announced. "Students from Gryffindor, go take a seat while the students from Slytherin go pick their partner's name."

Albus and Peter were next to each other in the middle row, with respectively Rose and Lena in front of them.

"At least this time I can choose my seat," Peter said.

Scorpius, Damon and Sicilia were in the line, waiting for their turn.

Damon noticed Scorpius constantly glancing at the four Gryffindor students, and more precisely at some redhead he claimed to hate.

When it was finally their turn, Scorpius was the first to go. When he picked his paper, Damon discreetly coughed a spell behind his hand.

Scorpius read out loud, "Rose Weasley. Are you kidding?"

Damon smirked, proud of himself, while Sicilia merely rolled her eyes, fully aware of her friend's obvious prank.

The white-haired boy narrowed his eyes at Damon, quickly catching on, "Are you behind this?"

Damon feigned ignorance, "Of course not, I'm just amused by the result."

"Of course you are," Scorpius Malfoy merely said, knowing he couldn't really do anything about this. Professor Hazebrown would never believe him and let him pick another name.

But he suddenly stopped and smirked. While it was Damon's turn, he also used a spell, pairing him up with Belinda Pollington, a girl from Gryffindor definitely not blessed by the nature and that had coincidentally a big crush on the tall brunet.

He smiled in victory at the sight of his friend's defeated face. When their eyes met, Scorpius smiled, raised his eyebrows and shrugged, meaning, '_We're even, now.'_

Scorpius finally joined his seat, and was welcomed by a sweet "Is this some kind of joke?" from Rose.

"Thank Damon, he did this," Scorpius told her while sitting next to her.

"But why? I did nothing to him," she complained.

"He decided to pull a trick on me out of nowhere that's all," he scowled and then smirked again, "But I paid him back."

Rose, curious, looked for Damon with her eyes, and saw him sitting next to Belinda Pollington. She was already happily talking to him non-stop, while he was only nodding and forcing a smile, probably praying for her to shut up.

"Poor him," she said, still looking at the poor young man.

"What about us then? Don't forget we are stuck together for the whole term. Meaning we'll have to work together and spend several hours together."

"Ugh, don't remind me that," she made a face.

"I think it's a good thing," they heard Albus say from behind, amused by the situation.

"Shut up, Albus," they both turned around and barked.

"See? You're already in sync", he grinned.

"Haha, really funny," Rose said sarcastically.

xxxxx

"Come on mate, I was just trying to help you, and this is how you thank me," Damon Stones complained to Scorpius after the class ended.

Scorpius sat on a bench outside, "Are you taking me for an idiot right now? How being stuck with Weasley would possibly help me?"

"Like that you'll get along more quickly. It worked with Albus, why not with Rose?"

"Why is everyone trying to make us become friends anyway? I also hate Crawford and nobody says anything about it," Malfoy said while taking an apple out of his robes.

"You're right. I should've put you with Crawford instead," Damon joked.

"Merlin, no. At least Weasley isn't stupid," Scorpius exclaimed as he was brushing his apple against his robes.

"Anyway, I just thought it would be interesting. And I'm sure you'll thank me later," he grinned.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Scorpius deadpanned, finally taking a bite out of his apple.

xxxxx

"Why did we make that bet, again?" Albus sighed as he was working at the library, along with Rose, Peter and Lena.

"To oblige us to keep our resolutions," Lena said matter-of-factly.

"And it seems to work. You would've never been here right now if it weren't for that bet," Rose told him.

"Of course not. It's Friday night. I had a date with Suzy, but I had to postpone it because of this," he complained.

"Come on, you'll see her in about an hour," Rose rolled her eyes, smiling. Her cousin really seemed happy with Suzy.

"At least I managed to go through this week without any accident in class. Maybe I'll be able to actually succeed," Peter smiled.

"It's only the first week, don't be too confident," Lena warned him.

"And at least you didn't have any complications. How am I supposed not to fight with Malfoy now that we're even forced to work together? As if I didn't see him enough already."

"Well, Albus did become his friend because he was paired up with him, so maybe it'll work for you too," Lena reasoned.

"Never. I can tolerate him a little now, but I'll never be able to put up with him for more than an hour, and alone on top of it. And why did Professor Hazebrown have to make us do a presentation with our partner? We never do presentations."

Peter shrugged, "She seems to love doing new things," he then smiled, "But I think it's a good idea."

Lena glared at him, "You say that only because you worship her. We'll see when you'll be doing your presentation."

She switched her attention back to her best friend, smiling at her, "And I'm sure you'll be ok. You're Rose Weasley, the nicest girl I've ever met."

"Well, even the nicest girl in the world has her limits," she said.

"Don't be so pessimistic, or you'll end up having a dare," Lena smirked.

"Ugh, I should've never done this bet," she ruffled her hair out of frustration.

"Told you," Albus commented.

xxxxx

"By the way, now that we're alone you can tell me, how's it going for you?" Rose asked Lena once they were in their dormitory.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, your resolution," she explained.

"Oh, right," Lena's cheeks turned a bit pink, "It isn't really going anywhere. I can't bring myself to act different than usual around him."

"You don't need to act different, just… be more honest about your feelings."

"Yeah, since blurting out 'Hey, by the way, I realized that I like you' is so usual from me," Lena said ironically. "Talking about my feelings and all, I can't do that kind of things. You know I'm not like that." Having grown with only her father, she was more used to hang out with boys than girls, and became like that.

"Then, just don't overthink it. You'll do it when you'll be ready. Who knows, maybe he'll be the one confessing first."

Lena made a face, not convinced at all, "As if. Even if he noticed my feelings, which he probably won't, he'll never act on it. Why did it have to be him, anyway?" It was frustrating.

"Well, he _is _a good guy and one of your best friends."

Lena sighed, "Right."

Before knowing it, Lena was suddenly hit by a pillow. She gasped and looked at Rose, "What was that for?"

"To cheer you up," Rose smiled, before taking her pillow and hitting her again with it.

"Let me cheer you up a little too, then. You seemed really down earlier after all," Lena exclaimed, grasping her own pillow to riposte.

xxxxx

A few days later, Lena was walking in the hallway when she spotted Damon. Belinda Pollington was with him, and she seemed to be trying to convince him to go to the library together with her.

"We only got our assignment a few days ago, we don't need to work on it already," she heard him tell Belinda.

"But if we want to have a good grade, we have to work and practice the most possible," she insisted. She was clearly trying to spend the most time possible with him rather than truthfully caring about her grades.

Lena decided to come to his rescue. She put her hand on his shoulder and smiled, "Sorry, but he's already got plans with me."

Belinda looked rather unhappy. She crossed her arms, "What kind of plans?"

"The kind that isn't your business," the brunette answered. She then looked at Damon, "Let's go."

Damon grinned, his expression saying 'Sorry, but not really' to Belinda as Lena took his arm and pulled him with her, leaving Belinda dumbfounded.

"You know, you almost sounded like a jealous girlfriend," Damon smirked.

Lena chuckled and hit him on the arm, "Shut up and just thank me for rescuing you."

"Thank you," he obeyed, grinning.

Not far from them, Albus and Peter were heading towards their dormitory when they saw the Gryffindor girl and the Slytherin boy together.

Peter fumed, "They're acting pretty cosy together these days."

Albus cast a sideways look at his best friend, smirking, "Look at you being all jealous."

Peter eyes widened, "What do mean jealous? I have no reason to be. She does whatever she wants after all."

"If I were you, I'd quickly stop the act, before I lose my chance," Albus advised, pointed his chin at Lena and Damon laughing together.

Peter frowned a little but quickly began to walk again, "Whatever."

Albus stared at him a few seconds, shaking his head. They both were so stubborn. He then followed him, tapping his shoulder once he was next to him, "Come on, let's go."

xxxxx

"I love our Dungeon," Damon suddenly exclaimed once he joined Scorpius and Sicilia in their common room. He dropped into an armchair and put his hands behind his head, "It's so calm, and cosy, and most of all, clean of Gryffindor students."

"Why, did you get into a fight with Lena?" Sicilia asked.

"Of course not, she even saved me earlier. I'm talking about Belinda Pollington. Since she's become my Potions partner, thanks to someone I know," he glared at Scorpius, "She's a lot more forward than ever. Always asking me to work with her and all. I'm not dumb, I know she doesn't want to work, she just wants my body."

Scorpius chuckled, "That's the first time I see you complain about a girl wanting your body."

"Because she's Belinda Pollington. Even when she only stared at me from afar I was creeped out." He then stood up, "I think I need a shower. I can still feel her hands on my arms," he made a face, shuddered and quickly left the room.

"Did you really have to do that? You knew how that'd turn out," Sicilia told Scorpius once they were alone.

"He's the one who started it by pairing me up with Weasley to make me miserable without even having a reason," Scorpius retorted.

"I was wondering… I know you don't mind that much being around her. You probably even like it, even if it's just to taunt her. So, why are you so worked up about being her class partner?"

"Because I can't stand being around her anymore. I've hit my limit."

"Why? I had a feeling your relationship had gotten slightly better these days."

"That's exactly why," he said.

She frowned, "I don't understand."

"I can't do this anymore. Before, I could control it, but I can't seem to be able to anymore. I'm becoming crazy. I have to stop this. And for that, I have to stop being around her," he ranted.

Truth was, he knew he had a thing for her. And since quite some time. At first, he just taunted her because her perfect act was infuriating. Then, around his third year at Hogwarts, he realized he actually found their arguments quite entertaining. Of course, at that time he'd also fight with the rest of her little group, but it wasn't the same. In his fourth year, he started to see her as a girl. And during their fifth year, he was tricked into admitting to Damon – and to himself in the process – that he found her attractive. But that was all. She was attractive and entertaining. And still kind of infuriating. Nothing more, nothing less. He didn't even care when she began to have boyfriends, so it meant it was nothing serious. He therefore decided not to put too much thought into it.

But then, he and Albus Potter became friends, and their two groups of friends began to hang out together. And he was finding her even more entertaining. And more attractive too, especially when he saw her at the Christmas ball. But he still could control himself. If he had felt like that last year, he probably would have tried to play with her a little until he was bored of her. But now that he was friends with her cousin, he couldn't really do that. So, he decided to just ignore this and go on as usual: having fun taunting her, and being secretly attracted to her.

And it worked for some time. Until he'd been alone with her in that bloody Forbidden Forest. Until he'd seen her smile so beautifully in front of him. And now, he couldn't stop thinking about her. And for the first time, he didn't only want to tease her, but he also wanted to make her smile like that again. And that was it. That's how he knew he'd hit the limit.

He didn't lie when he told everyone he didn't like her. He really didn't. At first, he genuinely disliked her. Then, he just found her fun to tease and somewhat beautiful. And now, he still didn't like her. No, it was much worse than that.

He didn't like her. He _loved_ her. And that was something he couldn't accept.

He therefore decided to ignore her until those troubling feelings he was having would wear off. But that was already hard enough now that they were all more or less friends with each other, and now Damon had found funny to pair him up with her.

How could he forget his feelings for her now that they'd have to spend hours alone together? He was doomed.

He then went back to earth as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and heard a comforting voice saying to him, "You know, it's okay for you to feel that way."

His eyes widened and he looked at her. She was slightly smiling at him.

"Did I think out loud?"

Sicilia shook her head, chuckling, "We grew up together, and you've never be one to talk about your feelings. Trust me, after all this time, you don't need to say anything for me to understand you."

He nodded slowly. He began to think about what she'd just said. Okay? Was it really? He was Scorpius Malfoy and she was Rose Weasley. He only knew how to be mean to her, and she only knew how to scowl at him.

"Well," he heard Sicilia begin, "I admit you didn't choose an easy one, but I don't recall a little difficulty ever stopping you from doing – and thinking – what you want."

And like that, she sat back on the armchair she was previously on and continued to read the book she'd left opened on it, as if nothing happened.

He smiled slightly at her. She really knew him well, a little too well maybe. She sometimes was too good at reading his mind for his taste.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

This was weird. And awkward. And disturbing. And Rose couldn't focus at all.

Even though she'd intentionally left a chair between them, the mere thought of sharing the same table as Scorpius Malfoy, and with no one else around it, was disturbing.

What was even more disturbing was that he didn't seem to mind at all. He was just reading, writing down information, and reading again. He wouldn't even look at her, while she couldn't help glancing at him from time to time.

He'd only talked to her once since they were here, and that was when she'd joined him.

_He was already sitting at a table when she arrived. She took a deep breath and joined him, taking the seat after the one next to him, which made him smirk, "What, afraid of me?"_

_And she responded, "Being in the same room is hard enough, so let's keep a minimum distance."_

_He shrugged and said, "If you want. Anyway, I've picked these two books while waiting for you, read this one or go search for another one if you want, and when we're finished, we share our notes and see what other information we have to find." He pointed his chin at the book next to him before going back to reading the one in front of him, as if this situation was completely normal._

And that was all. Not a word since then.

This silent Scorpius Malfoy disturbed her. But she didn't even know why. She should be happy that he wasn't making things more difficult than they already were.

She couldn't take the awkwardness anymore. She therefore was really glad she'd finally finished going through the book he had picked for her, so she could stand up to go search for another one.

She quickly glanced at him one last time. He didn't even seem to have noticed she'd moved.

She was now trying to pick a book, her finger running along the row in front of her. But then, she sighed and slowly put her finger down.

"Why am I like this?" She whispered to herself. She shook her head, "Rose Weasley, you have to focus." She started looking for a book again.

But then she felt a hand slightly brush her hair from her left as it was reaching for a book in the row.

She turned her head to see who it was, and her eyes widened, "Malfoy?"

"Did you miss this one or have you already read it?" He merely asked, showing her the book in his hands.

She looked at the title. She hadn't read that one, and she hadn't even noticed it a few seconds ago, either.

"So? If you've already worked on this one, it'd be counterproductive for me to also do it," he went on since she wouldn't answer him.

She finally snapped out of it, "Hm, no. I must have missed it. You can take it."

He smirked, "Rose Weasley missing a book, surprising. Could it be that you're nervous?"

She scoffed, "Nervous? Why would I be?" She wasn't nervous. She was… disturbed.

He took a step closer, and quietly said, "Because you're alone with me."

She felt a shudder running down her spine, but didn't let it show and said confidently, "You got me. I was too busy thinking about leaving the sooner possible so that I wouldn't have to see your face anymore."

"And yet you kept glancing at me," he smirked.

Her eyes widened. He noticed? But she still kept her calm, "I just couldn't believe my eyes. Scorpius Malfoy sitting next to me and not even trying to taunt me."

He raised his eyebrow, "So, now you're complaining because I'm not teasing you?"

She crossed her arms, looking away, "Of course not. It was just… bizarre. I'd never seen you being silent."

He smirked again, "Missed my voice?"

She frowned, "What are you playing at?"

What was wrong with him today? Was that a new way to tease her?

"I'm not playing. I'm trying to understand you. I thought you'd be happy that we ignore each other and get this over with without it ending in a bloodbath."

"Well, yes. But…" She didn't even know why she was upset.

"But what?"

"I don't know. It's just strange, okay? I thought you were up to something."

He sighed, "Believe it or not, I'm not spending my precious time thinking about ways to make you miserable. I've got better things to do."

She thought about what he said before replying, "You can't really blame me for having the habit of doubting you, can you?"

He tilted his head, acknowledging it, "I guess I can't. So, do we work while keeping our conversations to a minimum, or do we call a truce?"

Rose pondered the question. The first answer that came to her mind was 'A truce? Between us? As if it could last more than 5 seconds,' but then she remembered her resolution. She had promised to try her best to get along with him. So she said, "Let's call a truce. It's too awkward to work together while ignoring one another."

He smirked, "Then, join me at the table when you've found another book, and let's share our notes."

He then left the aisle, smiling when he heard her say "Why do I feel like I've just made a pact with the devil?"

xxxxx

On his way back to the Slytherin Dungeon, Scorpius was in a good mood.

He knew this was probably a bad idea, and that it'd probably never work. But Merlin did he feel great now that he'd decided not to fight his feelings anymore.

And it was really fun, too. Her reactions were priceless.

At first, he didn't know what to do around her, so he just ignored her. Or at least that's what she probably thought he did. He was aware of her every move, including the sideways looks she was casting at him.

But when she'd suddenly stood up and disappeared between the aisles of the library, he couldn't help but go search for her. When he found her, she looked like she was having a small argument with herself. His eyebrows had gone up, amused by the sight. And when he saw the cover of a book he knew, he couldn't help but use it to tease her a little. In love or not, he was still Scorpius Malfoy, and teasing Rose Weasley was his specialty.

How his teasing her had turned into his flirting with her – and therefore catching her off guard, which was understandable – he didn't know. But he didn't mind, au contraire.

He had been able to see her reacting in a way completely new to him. And he was finding this quite entertaining. So, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. He also didn't care about what would happen next, he was just enjoying the moment.

And he decided that was enough for him to go on like that.

xxxxx

Rose walked straight towards her bed and sat on it, looking totally out of it.

Lena, who was lying on her own bed reading a book, frowned at her, "Rose? Are you ok?"

"What the _fudge _was that?" Rose merely said, as if she hadn't even heard her friend.

"What are you talking about?" Lena tried again to communicate with her. But since she still didn't get any response, she took her pillow and threw it at Rose's face, which of course surprised the latter.

"Hey! What's got into you?" Rose shouted.

Lena smiled in victory, crossing her arms, "What's got into _you_? You were ignoring me and talking to yourself like a mad person."

Rose looked now a little embarrassed, "Oh. Sorry."

Lena smiled slightly, "Don't mention it. Just tell me what happened."

Rose's eyes widened as she seemed to remember what was bothering her. But she only said, "Oh nothing. Just my first working session with Malfoy. So unbearable I went mad, as you see."

"What did he do?" Lena asked.

Rose looked away, "Nothing special."

"It doesn't look like a reaction you'd have to nothing special," she insisted, "You seemed quite shocked."

"He..." Rose seemed to be searching for words, "He was quiet."

Lena frowned, "Quiet?"

"Yes. He worked and that's all. He didn't taunt me or anything."

Lena raised her eyebrows, not really getting it, "And that's what's bothering you?"

"Yes," Rose replied, but her looking away a little made Lena think there was something else.

"Sure?"

"Well, yes. That was just weird. I'm sure he's up to something."

Lena had to admit her friend was pretty convincing, but she wasn't her best friend for nothing and knew she wasn't telling the whole truth. Nonetheless, she decided to stop digging and play along, "Or maybe he was just trying to be civil."

Rose snickered, "No, I can assure you that's not it. He just found a new way to tease me. But I'm not going to be fooled." She had her competitive look on her face.

Lena sighed, lying down on her bed, "You're so different from your usual self when it comes to Scorpius Malfoy, I hope you at least realize that."

"Well of course, because he's the only person I genuinely hate," Rose said matter-of-factly.

"Are you sure you really hate him?" Lena was starting to think otherwise.

"Of course I do. How else could I possibly feel about a prick like him?" Rose laughed at the idea, but she looked like she was more trying to convince herself than her friend. "Like I said, he won't fool me," she then added, before getting lost in her thoughts again.

"If you say so," Lena merely told her, shaking her head briefly before going back to reading her book.

xxxxx

Rose was heading towards her next class when she saw Malfoy nonchalantly sitting on a low wall, talking to some other Slytherin boys. She automatically looked straight in front of her and quickened her pace, trying to avoid having to exchange words with him.

"Are you avoiding me, partner?" She heard him say as she was going past him and his little group.

Looks like she didn't succeed. She stopped, sighed heavily, and finally looked at him, "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"We'll talk later," he first said to the three guys who were with him, before standing up and getting closer to Rose, his usual smirk on his face. "A little 'hello' would be nice for a start."

"And why would I have to greet you?" She argued.

"Because we're partners now. And we called a truth," he said matter-of-factly.

"We did, but only for work. I don't remember ever agreeing to act like your friend or something, though," she said coldly. She may have that bet going on, but it was too unnatural for her to be nice to that guy, and luckily her friends weren't there to witness the scene.

"You're always so cold, partner. Why do you hate me so much?" He asked her as if he was hurt, but his whole face was telling something else.

"I don't know, maybe because you're an arrogant and insufferable prick?" She snapped at him, crossing her arms. "Plus, you hate me as much as I hate you, so I could ask you the same thing."

"I already told you, you should stop assuming things about me, because most of the time, you're wrong," he told her.

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you, but this time I am right. Your being a prick is a well-known fact."

"And I wasn't talking about that statement of yours. Though this one is not entirely true, either."

She frowned, "Then what are you talking about?"

He smirked, "You're a smart girl, so I'll let you figure it out yourself."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever. I don't have time to play guessing games with you. I need to go to class." She started to walk away.

"See you later then, _partner_." She literally could hear him smirking, but ignored it and didn't show any response, even if she was fuming on the inside.

xxxxx

She was now in her Ancient Runes class, and should be listening to Professor Klingbell, but instead, she couldn't stop thinking about what he said to her. That insufferable prick and his insufferable games.

At least, she was certain it wasn't that part of her statement that he could deny. But he couldn't deny the arrogant bit either. So what had he been talking about? She only said that.

She had said, word for word, _"I don't know, maybe because you're an arrogant and insufferable prick?" _Nothing else.

Then she remembered, _"Plus, you hate me as much as I hate you."_

Was he trying to say he didn't hate her? Impossible. Then why would he perpetually taunt her? She refused to believe in the boy-taunts-the-girl-he-really-likes nonsense. They weren't kids anymore, and even if that could apply to some people, it wasn't their case. She'd laugh in the face of anyone who would tell her that Scorpius Malfoy liked her.

Maybe he didn't hate her _anymore_, then? Like he didn't hate Albus anymore and had even become his friend. That could explain his somewhat failed attempts to be nice to her. But she hadn't done anything worth having him stop hating her.

She finally realized. He must have been talking about the _'as much as I hate you' _part. Like in a 'I hate you, but at least I can stand you a little and I'm trying to make things less difficult, while you can't even do that' way. Yes, she had to admit it seemed true, though he wasn't really good at showing it. But still, he must have meant that. Maybe he genuinely didn't want to constantly argue with her anymore as they had to see each other a lot these days, or had been talked into making some efforts just like she had been.

Or, he was just playing a trick on her, and she was falling right into it.

She won't be fooled. If he's really trying to be nicer, then good, it'll even help her completing her bet. But if this is all an act, she won't fall for it that easily.

Then, the bell started ringing, announcing the end of the class, and interrupting Rose's thoughts. Had she really just missed the whole class? How the heck did that happen?

xx

"What is she doing? Almost everyone came out of the classroom already," Peter told Lena as they were waiting for Rose. "Seriously, I don't understand people who take Ancient Runes. It's not called ancient for nothing, nobody uses them anymore."

"It's not about using them, but understanding them," Lena explained.

"Sorry, but I don't have to read very often ancient runes. It still seems useless to me," he went on.

"That's because to you, everything that is not related to Quidditch or a game seems useless. And that's why you always blow things up in class," Rose intervened. "Albus isn't with you?"

"Hey, I still haven't blown up anything this term," Peter exclaimed.

"And you shouldn't be that proud of this," Lena told him, before answering to Rose, "He's with Suzy. They'll join us later."

"Ok, so what did you two do during this hour?"

"Oh, the usual. We hanged out outside, Peter said stupid things, I corrected him..."

Rose laughed, "I see."

"Let's just go join Al' and Suzy, 'kay?" Peter told them, slightly irritated. He began to walk away.

"Come on, we're just teasing you," Lena told him with a smile while extending her right arm to wrap it around his shoulders since he was taller than her.

"Yeah, don't pout, Peter," Rose added.

"I'm not _pouting_. I'm a guy, remember?" He argued.

"And a very manly one," Lena said in a playful tone.

"Don't say it like that," he complained. "Ugh, I'm not talking to you two anymore."

The girls just laughed and continued to walk with their friend.

"Ah, I'm hungry. Why did it take you so long to go out of class anyway?" Peter complained.

"Hm... Because I had something to discuss with Professor Klingbell," she lied. She had just been too busy thinking about useless things to realize everyone was already leaving. "And I thought you weren't talking to us anymore," she quickly changed the subject to avoid being asked any further question.

"Ah, right," he realized.

"So brainless," Lena mocked.

xxxxx

It was late. Rose was searching for a book in the library, when someone tapped her shoulder. She turned around, and was surprised to see who it was. "Malfoy? What are you doing here?"

"Did you find the answer?" He simply asked.

"What answer?" She wasn't following him.

"About what I meant earlier. Did you figure it out?"

She looked away, "Well, sorry but I had better things to do than thinking about that."

He smirked, "Really? Because it seems you're lying right now."

"Why would I?" She lied again.

He took a step closer and leaned in a bit so his face would be at the same level as hers, and said, "Because you don't want to admit you spent the whole day thinking about me."

She scoffed, "You wish."

"So, did you get the answer, or do you want me to help you?" He insisted.

"I have no answer and don't want any," she snapped. "Now, leave me alone."

She started to leave, but stopped when she heard him call, "Why? Are you afraid?"

She turned around and looked straight at him, "I'm not afraid of you."

He smiled, "I know. I meant afraid of the answer I'd give you."

"I don't care about your bloody answer. I told you I wouldn't play guessing games with you," she was losing her calm.

"Fine, then let me end this game and tell you the answer," he said.

"I don't want to hear it!" She yelled, obviously forgetting where she was at the moment.

He chuckled, "You're really stubborn. If you don't want to hear it, I guess I'll just have to show you, then."

He was now slowly walking towards her, while she was going backwards to keep the same distance between them. He kept walking, looking and smirking at her. She finally hit the wall. There was no escape anymore.

"No. No. Stop walking," she ordered him. But he ignored her and continued to come closer and closer.

"Don't come closer, please," she begged him. Still no response.

"I said STOP!" She finally yelled from the top of her lungs.

And before she could understand what was happening, everything was dark. She looked around, lost, and finally recognized the place. She was in her bed in the Gryffindor girls' dormitory. Was that all a dream?

Someone turned on a light.

"Rose?" She heard a sleepy Lena call her. Her friend was rubbing her eyes, keeping them half-closed since she wasn't used to the light yet. "Are you ok? I heard you scream."

So it really was a dream, she realized.

She looked at her best friend and smiled a little, "Yeah, sorry. I just had an unpleasant dream."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No, no. Don't worry, it was nothing. Go back to sleep," she assured her.

Lena seemed to think about it for a few seconds before finally agreeing, "Fine. I'll turn off the light then. 'Night." She did as she said, and lied down again, falling asleep almost immediately.

Rose smiled at her friend, before also moving back into a sleeping position, since she had straightened up as she'd woken up before.

Why did she have such a dream, anyway? That guy was already pestering her enough during the day, and now he showed up even in her dreams. So annoying.

She tried not to think about it anymore, and most of all, she tried not to think about the meaning this dream could have. Thankfully, she fell asleep quickly, letting her forget about that, at least until the next morning.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

Stupid dream. Stupid Malfoy. And stupid Miss Hazebrown with her stupid assignments that started it all.

Rose seriously had to make that dream stop popping up in her mind. She therefore decided to make things clear with Malfoy.

"Hey, partner. You're early tonight, did you want to see me that badly?"

Speak of the devil. And Merlin he was good at infuriating her with a mere sentence.

She scoffed at him, "I'm usually early when I have an appointment, even if it is a really annoying one."

"Still cold I see. I believe we're here for work, so doesn't our truce apply right now?"

"We're not working yet," she retorted.

"Let's go, then. I wouldn't want to waste your precious time. And mine either," he said, already heading towards the library. While starting to open the door, he added, "Mostly mine, in case you wondered."

She just sighed and followed him in. They went straight towards the alleys since they had to pick some books to study. Rose went in the L alley, but stopped when she noticed Malfoy was still right behind her.

"Why are you following me?" She asked him in a low voice.

"I just thought that, as partners, we should choose the books together."

She narrowed her eyes, "Since when are you that cooperative? Don't you dislike being around me?"

"You're the uncooperative one, not me," he pointed out, "And you still haven't figured it out by now?"

"Figured out what?" She said in a slightly shaky voice, remembering once again the dream she had.

"What I meant the other day," he answered simply.

"Oh, right, I'd forgotten about that," she lied. But it was good he'd brought it up himself, so she could finally clear things out and forget about it, "So what, were you saying you don't hate me that much?"

He looked surprised by her response for about two seconds, and then chuckled, "Is the thought of me not hating you at all that unrealistic to you?"

"Yes," she automatically answered.

He scratched his head and let out a dry laugh, "Of course it is."

She frowned at his reaction. Why did he seem so bitter about it?

She then mentally slapped herself, 'No, no, no. Do not start to deduce strange things out of this. You're just confused because of your dream. That's all.'

"Anyway, what I meant was that, since we called a truce and all, I decided to stand your presence, and was hoping you'd try to do the same. This assignment is already tiring enough as it is, so let's not waste our stamina at arguing and being on the defensive every time we see each other," he explained, oblivious of the inner fight she had been having a few seconds ago.

She suddenly felt relieved. He finally confirmed she was just overthinking it, and she now could finally let go of the weird thoughts that unpleasant dream had brought to her mind.

Now in a good mood, she smiled slightly, "Fine, I'll try harder to go against my instincts telling me to hex you every time you'd open your mouth. I guess it's just harder than I thought it would be."

He lift an eyebrow and said ironically, "How sweet of you."

She crossed her arms and said, "Well, that's the sweetest I can get around you."

"I'd like it if you could get rid of your coldness at least a little, but I guess I'll have to settle with this for now," he told her before starting to search for a book in the alley. He picked one of them, and showed it to her, "I think this one would be interesting, what do you think?"

Rose nodded, "It was the one I wanted to pick, actually."

He smirked, "I guess great minds really think alike."

She wanted to scoff at the idea of him being a great mind, but she had to admit he was far from being an idiot, and she did just promise to make an effort, so she restrained herself. Instead, she said, "I also have another one already in mind, I'll go take it."

"Fine, I'll go find a table where to sit then," he replied, surprisingly leaving her alone without arguing.

Maybe he really was trying to be nice to her. But she still couldn't help being wary of him. It was like her second nature, after all.

Once she had picked her book, she joined Scorpius. And this time, she sat right next to him.

He looked at her, a little surprised.

She opened the book, and was looking at it when she said, "If you can let aside our issues and work seriously, there's no reason I can't."

He chuckled, "Such a competitive mind. But I'm fine with it."

Genuine or not, Rose had to admit it was pleasant to work without fighting every two minutes. Maybe she'll really try to be less defensive from now on.

xxxxx

On Friday, after their Potions lesson which was the last class of the week, they all decided to go hang out outside since the weather was surprisingly good for the season. Only Albus wasn't there since he had a date with Suzy. Now that Rose was thinking about it, why did they even hang out together when Albus wasn't even there? He usually was the one suggesting to the Slytherins to come with them, but now they just came along as if it was an habit.

"Finally over. This class is the worst," Damon let out while letting himself drop on the grass.

"You say that only because you don't like your partner," Lena pointed out.

"Of course. She's just so sticky and annoying," he made a face.

"Next time, think about the consequences before playing a prank on someone," Rose told him. "Especially when it involves someone innocent. It's just fair for you to be punished."

"Hey, from what I see, your condition isn't as bad as mine," he argued.

"I have to admit he's right. I may have been a little too mean on this one," Scorpius said, but not without smiling, still amused by his poor friend's situation.

"Why don't you make her not like you anymore?" Lena suggested.

"You know that's impossible, I can't simply turn off my natural sexiness," he replied.

"And I thought Malfoy was arrogant," Peter scoffed.

"How long are you guys going to talk about that? It's done now anyway, so deal with it," Sicilia commented.

"She's right, when Rose and Scorpius aren't complaining or arguing, you're the one taking over. I feel like we're always talking about the same things," Lena said.

"I don't complain that much," Scorpius denied.

"I don't anymore, either," Rose added.

"Now that you mention it, it's true. You also argue less. Could it be that being partners improved your relationship?" Lena realized.

"See, I knew it," Damon exclaimed proudly.

"Yeah, we'll soon be inseparable. Right, partner?" Scorpius put his arm around Rose's shoulders while grinning.

She quickly moved it away, "Let's not go overboard, shall we, _partner_?"

"That's her way of showing affection," Scorpius explained to the others.

"Only with you then," Peter snorted. He didn't like how cocky that twat was acting, and how Rose wasn't even saying anything about it, probably because of the bet they'd made.

Scorpius tried not to show his irritation and quickly smirked, "Yep, that's how special I am."

"Yeah, you're the only one she hates. Very special, indeed," Peter retorted. He also simply hated the guy and loved to put him in his place, Rose involved or not.

"Peter, that's enough," Rose told him. "I can speak for myself. And please don't start to act like Albus and James, those two are already enough."

"Maybe you have to be friendly around him, but I don't."

Scorpius frowned at Peter's remark, "What do you mean she hasto be friendly with me?"

Peter and Rose realized he'd nearly revealed the bet they were having, but Rose didn't let it show and quickly explained, "Since we called a truce."

"Something I would never be able to do, by the way. You're really strong, Rose," Peter said.

"As if I'd want to call a truce with you, anyway," Scorpius snapped.

While those three were arguing, their three other friends were just watching the scene.

"Why does it seems like a love triangle scene?" Damon asked jokingly Sicilia.

"Perhaps because it is one?" Sicilia said with a hint of humour.

"Or at least one of them think this is," Lena added. After noticing the slightly surprised look the other two were giving her, she said, "What? You don't need to be his close friend to notice it. Heck, even Peter knows, but probably without being aware of knowing since that boy doesn't have a brain."

Sicilia had to give her that. Her childhood friend wasn't really subtle anymore.

"Anyway, let's stop this, it's becoming boring to watch," Damon declared. Scorpius and Peter were the ones arguing while Rose was now mostly listening.

Lena started to ask him how, but was interrupted by him saying loudly, "Lena, I need a huuug!" And then, he hugged her.

Scorpius and Peter stopped arguing and Rose switched her attention towards her best friend, all confused about the sudden exclamation.

Scorpius and Rose both frowned, not understanding what they missed, while Peter looked pissed.

"What's with you Slytherins, seriously?" He exclaimed, annoyed.

Damon smiled in victory before letting go of Lena. He turned around and smirked at Peter, "We were tired of watching you guys argue, so I thought about that as a diversion."

Peter was about to start another argument, but Albus and Suzy arrived.

"What's going on here?" Albus asked.

"The usual," Lena told him.

"Some arguing and the others trying to stop them?" Suzy asked knowingly. She was starting to be used to the dynamics of their group, and she had to admit it could be quite entertaining sometimes. She'd usually hang out only with students from her own house, so it was kind of refreshing to be around students from not one, but two other houses at the same time.

"Ding ding ding," Damon informed her she was right. "But it's over now so it's ok."

"I really can't leave you without surveillance more than a few minutes, can I?" Albus joked.

"Right, because you're such a wise man yourself," Rose rolled her eyes at him, smiling.

xxxxx

"So, why did you even get angry at Scorpius this afternoon?" Lena casually asked Peter.

They were sitting in front of the fireplace. Rose was doing her homework and Albus was talking to James.

"I didn't get angry, I just wanted to put him in his place," he simply replied.

"Well yes, but why? I mean he was just joking, and you know Rose can perfectly defend herself anyway."

He shrugged, "We have that bet going on, so she couldn't, and I couldn't just let Malfoy play with her like that."

"Why? Do you like Rose or something?" Lena laughed awkwardly.

Peter frowned, "How did you come to _that _conclusion?"

Of course, Rose was very important to him as they were friends since their first year, but he saw her more like a sister, while what he felt for Lena was completely different. But still, he couldn't help being annoyed when that jerk was too close to her, convinced he was up to something. And now that Albus was Malfoy's friend, he had to be the one with the protective mode on.

"I don't know. It seemed like you hated Scorpius being close to her, so..."

"I hated even more that prick hugging you, though," he mumbled, remembering how Stones had taken advantage of the situation back then.

"What did you say?" She asked him.

"Nothing," he lied. "Anyway, I can assure you I don't like Rose."

She then chuckled, "I know, I was just teasing you. She's way out of your league anyway."

"That is not true, I'll have you know I'm a very fine man," he argued.

She ruffled his hair, "Of course you are. You're just so easy to tease."

"Stop mocking me," he complained.

"Alright," she said between two laughs, "I'll stop."

Truth was, even if she never truly believed he liked Rose, the thought of this possibility in a tiny part of her mind had been bothering her since the afternoon. She was glad to have asked him about it, and that he wasn't really good at connecting the dots.

xxxxx

Our four Gryffindor friends were sitting at a table of the Three Broomsticks Inn, enjoying their butterbeers.

"I like that. Hanging out together, just the four of us," Peter said.

"You're saying that as if we didn't do it anymore," Lena remarked.

"We don't. Not just the four of us, I mean."

"We still do it all the time in our dormitory," Rose said.

"Well, yes. But it's not the same. When we're outside there's always someone else with us."

"About that..." Albus made a sorry face.

"What? Who's coming now?" Peter was already disappointed.

"Suzy's coming with her friend."

Peter felt relieved, "Oh, fine then. Suzy's ok, of course. And who's her friend?"

"Well..."

"Hey guys!" They heard Suzy call them.

"No wonder you kept quiet about it," Rose shook her head slightly at her cousin.

Peter and Lena became curious and turned around to see who was with her, and their eyes widened. "Petunia?" They both said.

"What is she doing here?" Lena whispered angrily to Albus.

"You could have at least told us beforehand," Peter added in the same manner.

It wasn't like they had a bad breakup – if you can even call that a breakup since they'd never been a in real relationship – but Peter hadn't talked to her since then, so it was kind of awkward. And Lena, well, she just couldn't help but dislike the girl.

"Sorry, we're a little late," Suzy apologized once they were close to their table, after having ordered their butterbeers. She went and sat next to Albus.

"Hello, everyone," Petunia greeted them quietly.

She gave off a whole different feeling that the last time they saw her there. She sounded less obnoxious and more shy than before. Probably because she felt a little awkward about the situation.

Albus and Rose smiled at her, "Hey."

Petunia smiled back at them before looking at the other side of the table, and by the look of their faces, she concluded, "I assume you didn't know I was coming?"

"Albus, why didn't you tell them?" Suzy slightly rebuked.

"I was about to tell them, but you arrived before I could," he said as a poor excuse.

"Well, maybe I should just go join Carolina and Tara for their shopping session," Petunia said.

"Of course not," Albus said, "They were just surprised, I'm the one at fault. But it's ok, right guys?"

Lena and Peter shook their head at the same time. Peter smiled, "Of course it's ok, sorry."

Petunia smiled and looked at Lena.

"Why woudn't I be ok with it?" Lena eventually said. As long as she doesn't seduce Peter again, that is.

Petunia grinned, "You're all so sweet." She immediately sat at the table, the only seat avaible being the one next to Peter. "I was afraid this was going to be awkward given our..." she cast a sideways look at Peter, "History. But I'm glad it's not."

"It's not like we fought or something," Peter told her.

"You're right. I was silly," she giggled.

Now they could recognize the girl they'd met a few months ago, but she was still more likeable than before.

At the sight of the two girls' full pints, the boys decided it was time to refill theirs, and therefore left the table for a few minutes.

Petunia started to look around, as if searching for someone, "Scorpius Malfoy and his friends aren't there?"

"No, why?" Lena frowned. What, was she trying to seduce a Slytherin now?

"Oh, because you seem to spend a lot of time together these days, that's all," Petunia smiled.

Ok, maybe she wasn't.

"We even spend too much time together," Rose automatically spat.

"Ah, right. Suzy told me you two still don't really get along."

"That's an understatement," Rose said.

"I don't understand. He's handsome, athletic, and smart. I bet a lot of girls are jealous of you being his partner right now. I'm clearly one of them," she raised her hand as a joke.

Or maybe she was? Lena couldn't follow that girl.

"That doesn't change the fact that he's a prick," Rose went on.

"Well, I never really talked to him so I can't tell," Petunia said. "But Suzy told me he was a pretty decent guy."

"That's because she's his friend's girlfriend," Rose joked.

"And you're his friend's cousin," Suzy chuckled. She then looked at Petunia, "I didn't know you were interested in Scorpius, by the way."

So Lena wasn't the only one confused about that girl's intentions.

"I'm not interested, just curious," Petunia said. "You know I'm curious by nature."

"More like addicted to gossips," Suzy joked.

Petunia laughed, "That's another way to put it, yes."

So, was she on a guy-hunt or not?

"Oh and Lena, you're really close to his best friend, Damon Stones, aren't you? He's a real hunk, too."

"We're friends, that's all, if that's what you want to know."

"And how could you stay friends with a guy like that? He's just so dreamy," Petunia squeeled.

'Because I like someone else, who happens to be your kind-of-ex-boyfriend, but I won't tell you that,' Lena thought. But what she said out loud was, "He's too much of a player."

"That's what you're telling yourself, but I'm sure you're just waiting for him to profess his love to you," Petunia smirked.

Ok, so, not on a guy-hunt, but clearly on a gossip-hunt. She'd probably make a perfect reporter for the _Witch Weekly _later.

"We're back," Albus announced as he and Peter were taking their sit back. "So, what were you talking about?"

"About the fact that Lena secretly loves Damon, but doesn't want to admit it because she's afraid of him breaking her heart," Petunia summarized.

"What?" Peter exclaimed loudly.

"I. Am. Not in love with Damon. She's saying nonsense," Lena tried to explain.

"See, totally in denial," Petunia went on.

"Petunia, stop it," Suzy gently rebuked her friend, then looked at the guys, "Don't mind her, she just reads far too much romantic novels."

"_Thank you_," Lena said, happy someone was trying to help her.

"Of course. As if someone as smart as Lena would fall for that womanizer," Peter laughed awkwardly.

Lena slightly frowned at him. Was he being jealous right now? Or merely protective just like he'd been towards Rose a few days ago?

That was frustrating, why was figuring out someone else's feelings so much more complicated when it came to the one you liked? That was just unfair.

xxxxx

"This was a good afternoon," Rose said to her three best friends as they were on their way back to Hogwarts. Suzy and Petunia had already joined their girl friends from Ravenclaw.

"I agree. We should do that more often," Peter said, spinning around.

Lena gave him a look, "So you can get wasted more often?"

He stopped, "I'm not wasted." He then stumbled, "Woh, I'm dizzy."

His friends laughed.

"Why were you spinning around in the first place anyway?" Albus mocked.

He seemed to really think, then frowned, "I don't know."

Lena rolled her eyes, chuckling, "Of course you don't, you brainless boy."

They continued to walk.

"But still, I was so surprised when I saw Petunia," Peter said. "You could've at least warned us, Albus."

"I already apologized for that. Plus, it went well in the end."

"I have to admit she's a little more likeable now," Rose said.

"When she's not hunting for gossips, that is," Lena added.

Rose chuckled, "Right."

xxxxx

Rose was on her way to the library when she felt someone tap her left shoulder. She turned to see who it was, but no one was there.

"Talk about a smart girl," he mocked her once she went past her from her right.

She rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't have thought someone would still do that childish prank at our age."

Scorpius smirked, "And yet, you fell for that childish prank."

She rolled her eyes and started to walk again, Scorpius going along with her.

That was kind of bizarre, walking next to him like that.

"So, how was your afternoon in Hogsmeade?" He asked her.

She frowned at his attempt to be friendly, but still answered, "Great. Probably because you weren't there."

"Oh, so you missed me," he concluded.

"Didn't you hear me? I said the very contrary."

"You thought about me when you were there, so you missed me, even if you won't admit it."

His ability to twist her words was really infuriating.

She sighed, "Let's just walk to the library silently, ok?"

"You're changing subjects, meaning I'm right."

"No, I'm just too tired to bother aguing with you about such trivial things," she retorted.

He held his hands up, "Fine, I'll stop."

Well, that was easy.

"And how was your afternoon?" Rose asked after a few seconds. Walking silently next Scorpius Malfoy was even more bizarre than talking to Scorpius Malfoy while walking.

Scorpius raised his eyebrows, surprised. But he didn't make a remark about it.

"A little boring. Probably because you weren't there," he replied in the same manner as she did before.

She didn't let her surprise show and smirked instead, "Oh, so you missed me."

"Of course," he told her without blinking.

"What?" Even if she should have seen that one coming, she hadn't.

"I strangely got used to our loud afternoons when we're all together. To be honest, it felt a little weird not to have anyone raise their voice around me for a whole day," he said.

Oh, so that was it. He missed the whole gang. Wait. Why did she feel a little disappointed?

Before she could go further in her thoughts or even reply to him, she realized they were in front of the library, and that he was already opening the door. She followed him inside, and they quickly started working. A whole hour passed without even Rose noticing, which was a first for that to happen during her working session with Malfoy.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"So, will you go out with me this Saturday?" He asked her shyly.

She shyly tucked a lock of her red hair behind her ear and smiled, "Why not?"

His eyes widened and a big smile appeared on his face, "Really?"

She laughed slightly, "Of course."

"So, it's a date?" He wanted to be sure.

She chuckled again, "Yes, it's a date."

Rose made a face as she was passing by the two new lovebirds. It was already the second time she'd witnessed a scene like that today. This was always like that, new couples forming a little before Valentine's Day. She didn't really know if it was because of the romantic mood created by this so-called romantic day, or just because of the fear of spending it alone.

Rose didn't particularly like Valentine's Day. She maybe even disliked it. She didn't understand the logic behind one day where everyone has to show their love to their special someone, and if you don't – and by you, she meant guys – then prepare to be dumped, or at least have your girlfriend really pissed at you for a few days.

She entered the girls' dormitory, and saw a few bouquets of roses and a chocolate box on her bed, with a card attached to each of them.

She sighed, already knowing she wouldn't like what was written on those cards. That was the main thing she disliked about that day. Every pun someone could make about her name would be made within the fortnight before Valentine's Day.

"And there's still over a week left," Minzy smiled at Rose. "You lucky girl. I'm still waiting for one."

Not lucky. Just from a famous family.

She sat on her bed and started to read the cards.

'A dozen of roses for my only Rose.' Not really original, Ludovic Brinson. If she remembered well, he was a 7th year from Ravenclaw.

'Roses are red. Violets are blue. I only wanted to say, I still want to go out with you." Signed by Marcellus Wilcox from Hufflepuff. Good at recycling, this one. He wrote the same thing last year, and the year before – well, only without the 'still' that time.

'I know life isn't a bed of roses, but I'm only asking for a Rose in my bed.' What?! Did she really just read that? How can someone not only think and say that, but write it as a gift card? And most of all, think that it could possibly work? She made a mental note to avoid Kraig Forrester from Ravenclaw from now on.

The last card came with the chocolate box. 'I don't have any rose to give, but would you be mine to keep?' Okay, she had to give Loann Lebron, a fellow 6th year from Gryffindor, some credit. But not too much, since he still made a pun about her name. Did she mention she hated puns about her name?

She sighed heavily and lied down on her bed. She really wished she could avoid this day.

"As popular as always I see," she heard Lena say.

Rose straightened up a little to look at her friend, "I don't understand why they keep trying."

By now, the whole school should know she had promised to herself not to ever accept a confession that was done during this time of the year, in order to dissuade people from all confessing to her at the same time, but it clearly didn't work.

Lena shrugged, "They probably think that it will be different this year. So, any interesting gifts?"

"You can take a look, see for yourself," Rose merely said, already tired of this nonsense.

Lena began to read the cards. Her eyes widened at Kraig's card, "Well... That's... New."

Rose chuckled, "I have to at least give him that. But I won't give him anything else, believe me."

"Still, don't you think you're a little to harsh? You don't even give them a chance. Of course Kraig is out, but the others were kind of cute. Aren't you the bit interested?"

"I won't go out with someone who only talks to me because Valentine's Day's in the corner," she explained.

"Maybe it is because it gives them an excuse to talk to you."

Rose took a few seconds to respond, "No, I already promised myself I wouldn't accept any of these confessions. Period."

Lena shrugged, "As long as you're ok with it, I don't have anything to say."

xxxxx

"James, here's for you," Alyce Mowery, a 5th year from Hufflepuff, said as she was handing out a chocolate box to James Potter who was sitting at the Gryffindor's table in the Great Hall.

He smiled smoothly, "Thank you, little princess."

Rose feigned to gag. Lena slightly shook her head. Albus chuckled discreetly. And Peter had 'why-not-me?' written all over his face.

The petite blonde blushed furiously, looking away, "You... You're welcome." And the rushed back to her house's table, her friends cheering for her once she'd joined them.

Rose and Lena stared at him, deadpan, and said together, "Playboy."

James merely shrugged, "Don't blame me, blame the nature."

"Ugh, I hang out with too many narcissistic boys," Lena complained.

Just then, Fred arrived, holding a few little pink boxes. He put them on the table as he sat next to James, and breathed out, "It's so tiring to be popular. Not that I'm complaining, though." At that, he smirked and automatically high-fived James without even looking at him.

He then took a bite of the food on the table, and seeing the blasé look on Lena, and the amused expression on the others' faces, he asked after having swallowed the food, "What?"

"Lena's tired of being friends with awesome people," James explained.

"Oh Lena, don't be like that, you're just as awesome," Fred smiled cutely.

Lena couldn't help smiling at their antics.

"She smiled," they both exclaimed.

"Oh, shut it," she rebuked, but was still smiling. Even she couldn't remain immune to their charms. But it was different from the other girls, of course. She considered them as family, and they treated her as such. That was the perks of being best friends since little with someone who had such a large family when you're an only child: even if you don't have real siblings, you feel like you do.

xxxxx

"Hey, Malfoy," Albus called his friend when he noticed him walking in the corridors, looking at something he was holding.

Scorpius halted when he heard his name and looked up. "Hello, Potter."

When Albus was next to him, he finally saw that the thing he was holding was a chocolate box, "You got one of those too, huh."

"Yep," he merely said. "Do you want some? They're made of milk chocolate, but I only like black chocolate. And I wouldn't want it to go to waste."

"No thanks, a girl gave them to you, and I don't think she'll be happy to see me eat them," Albus politely declined.

Scorpius tilted his head to say 'fine, then' and closed the little box. At least it was green, and not pink, because he apparently had to carry it the whole way to his dormitory.

"And you, did you get some?"

Albus shook his head, "I'm taken, remember?"

"Right, but I know that doesn't always stop the others from trying," he was talking from experience.

Maybe it was because they could feel he didn't really love the girls he went out with, but the few times he had been in a relationship with one, some girls would still flirt with him, telling him they were better than his current girlfriend etc. But he never cheated on anyone, because he'd dump the girl before it could happen.

Scorpius grew bored of his girlfriends pretty fast, because all they knew was how to whine when he wasn't telling them sweet words every minute, whine when he didn't want to talk to them, be jealous every time another girl would smile or talk to him...

He had to admit he wasn't the best boyfriend out there, but in his defense, it was hard to show affection to someone you barely liked. Why did he still date them, you ask? Because they were pretty, and he was a guy, and a bored one. But after being a few weeks with them, he'd feel just as bored again, if not more. It was probably because he didn't date the smartest girls of the school, or even the ones who could have a proper conversation that didn't include gossips, clothes, and more gossips.

"Oh, here are Rose and Lena," Albus suddenly said.

The two girls were talking happily while walking in their direction, but didn't seem to have noticed them yet.

Scorpius smiled, remembering he was finally interested in someone that wasn't like that. Now, all he had to do, was to make her his. But that was another problem.

Albus looked like he was about to call them, but he stopped when he saw Rose looking nervous and trying to hide behind Lena, hiding her face with her hand.

The two boys raised their eyebrows.

"What's going on with her now?" Scorpius asked.

Albus shrugged, "I stopped trying to understand her a long time ago."

A few seconds later, they saw her look behind her not so discreetly, then sigh in relief and act normal again. They concluded they could finally come talk to the girls.

"Rose," Albus called once they were only a few meters away, making her jump.

"Albus! You scared me," she exclaimed. She looked around, "I hope he didn't hear you."

"So, who is it you're avoiding?" Albus asked her.

"Kraig Forrester," she whispered, still looking around. Since she didn't see him, she went on, "He sent me roses to ask me out yesterday, and today he wouldn't stop staring at me during the Herbology class, winking at me every time my eyes would briefly meet his."

Albus chuckled, "And why don't you just tell him you're not interested?"

"I did," she retorted, "But he said I was cute when acting shy." She rolled her eyes.

"That guy's clearly mental," Scorpius said.

Lena finally took notice of what the Slytherin was holding in his hands, "Is that a chocolate box?"

Scorpius looked at it, having already forgotten he was holding it,"It is. Want some?" He opened the box.

"No, thanks. They're yours, after all," Lena declined the offer.

"And you, partner?"

Rose looked at him, frowning, "Why are you asking me?"

"Probably because I have manners, unlike you apparently. You could have just said 'no, thanks,' you know," he said.

"Rose!" They heard someone call. It was a tall, blond guy with an arrogant look on his face. If Scorpius remembered well, that was the annoying Kraig Forrester Rose had just been complaining about, a 6th year student from the house Ravenclaw. He didn't know anything more than that about the bloke, other maybe than he was an idiot with an ego so big his head wasn't exploding only because of the gel on his hair sticking it together.

Rose's eyes widened, and she looked around for an escape as Forrester was walking towards them. Then, her eyes stopped at the sight of Scorpius' chocolate box.

"On second thoughts, can I have some?" She asked him, pointing at the green box still open.

"Of course," he said, but not really following her.

"Perfect," she merely said before taking a handful of chocolates and stuffing them into her mouth.

"I finally found you," Forrester said once he was right behind her. "So, I guess you probably saw my little gift to you and..."

Rose turned around, and smiled widely at him, revealing her teeth completely covered from chocolate, "Yesh?" She hadn't even swallowed everything yet.

Albus, Scorpius and Lena held back a laugh when they saw the face Kraig made. She really wasn't like most girls.

"Uh, hum..." He stumbled, "What I wanted to say was that... That I realized my friend didn't give it to the right Rose. I'm sorry."

Rose finally swallowed the chocolates at once and looked a little surprised, "Ah? I didn't know there was another Rose in Gryffindor. But I'm glad you told me yourself, thank you," she smiled widely again.

Kraig made a face, obviously not fond of her brown teeth, and said, "That's the thing, she's not even in Gryffindor. Silly friend of mine." That bloke was such a bad liar it hurt. "So, huh, sorry again. I have to go, now."

He then nearly ran away from the little group, still shocked by what he'd just seen.

Lena and Albus burst out laughing while Rose was finishing cleaning her teeth.

"You're incredible, don't you even worry he's going to tell everyone that?" Albus said.

"If it helps dissuading other guys to ask me out this week, then it's all for the better," she said simply.

"You're doing all kinds of things, partner," Scorpius mocked. "I would have never thought that the Miss Perfect you are could pull off a trick like that instead of discussing honestly with him."

"Well, it seemed he wouldn't take my words seriously, so," she shrugged.

"So, you decided to abuse my little chocolates and gross him out?" he raised his eyebrow, amused.

"Thank you, by the way," she said. "Oh and why don't you try them? They're really good."

"I don't like milk chocolate. You can have the rest, since you love them so much," he smirked.

"Who doesn't like milk chocolate, seriously?" She didn't seem to believe him. "And no thanks, I've already had enough."

"Kraig's face, though," Lena chuckled, remembering the scene. Albus and Rose also laughed at the idea again.

Rose's laugh made Scorpius smile. It was so beautifully genuine. He was glad to finally be able to witness this from close up.

xxxxx

Rose and Lena were hanging out in the girls' dormitories with Minzy and Violetta, who also was a 6th year student.

"So, did you say yes to Julian?" Minzy asked Violetta.

"Not yet... I'll wait a few more days," Violetta said.

"Playing hard to get, huh?" Minzy said knowingly.

"Exactly," she smirked. "And you, did Gray ask you out?"

Minzy made a disappointed face, "No. I don't think he even likes me, so..."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be ok," Violetta tried to cheer her up. Then she looked at Rose, "And you Rose, did you chose someone out of your pretendants?"

"You know very well I don't accept any date for Valentine's Day."

"I know, but I never understood why. And some pretty good guys asked you out, what a shame," Violetta finished in a sigh.

"Or are you waiting for someone in particular to ask you out?" Minzy implied.

"I am not," Rose calmly refuted.

"What a bummer. And here I thought you maybe had a thing for Scorpius Malfoy," Minzy looked disappointed.

Rose frowned, an horrified expression on her face, "Merlin's pants! Where did you get that idea? You've got it all wrong."

"You're not a good observer Minzy," Violetta added. Rose was about to thank her for taking her defense, but then Violetta said, "It's obviously the other way around."

"What?" Rose couldn't believe it. "You're spouting nonsense."

"Am I really?" Violetta raised her eyebrows at her, then looked at Lena, "What do you think, Lena?"

Lena merely shrugged, "I think this is not my business." Rose wouldn't believe anyone who'd say Scorpius liked her, anyway. So she might as well not bother arguing about it.

"You're so not fun," Violetta pouted.

Minzy then smiled somewhat maliciously, "Then, let's talk about what's your business, Miss Reynolds. You can admit it now."

"Admit what?" What kind of weird story had these two had made up in their minds this time?

"That you're dating Damon Stones," Minzy said matter-of-factly.

"I am not dating Damon Stones," she refuted.

"Then why are you always stuck with him?" Violetta inquired.

"And I heard you got all possessive of him around Belinda Pollington, too," Minzy added.

"One, I spend time with him because he's my friend. I spend even more time with Albus and Peter, and you said nothing about it. Two, I was trying to help him out back then."

"Well, Albus has a girlfriend, and the whole school's talking about you and Damon dating, not you and Peter."

"As if the whole school would be interested in my love life," Lena rolled her eyes.

"Well, not the whole school, but a lot of people. Damon's pretty popular, after all," Violetta said.

"Have you ever wondered why nobody asked you out yet? That's because they think you're already taken, or at least you'll soon be," Minzy added.

"Well, if they believe those kinds of rumors, I'd rather not have them ask me out," Lena retorted.

"But, you're not even interested in him?" Violetta frowned.

"Not a bit. He's just a friend, I can assure you that," she said without blinking. She had someone else she liked, too. But she'd never tell _that _to _them_. Minzy and Violetta were very nice and she really liked them, but they just couldn't keep their mouth shut.

"You two are a disappointment, really," Violetta pouted.

"Well, sorry for that," Rose chuckled.

"Oh, and did you hear that Yolanda Hamilton's dating Damien Duprès?" Violetta finally changed of subject.

"Really?!" Minzy exclaimed.

Rose and Lena smiled at each other, glad they weren't the two girls' targets anymore.

xxxxx

"Wouldn't it be better if we said this part before this one?" Scorpius Malfoy asked Rose as they were working on their Potions assignment.

Rose thought about it and said, "I agree. It would be more logical that way."

Malfoy leaned back, stretching out, "That's it, then. I believe we are finally done with this, partner."

She looked at the papers in front of her and smiled slightly, "We are. The only thing left is rehearsing for the presentation, one or two times would probably be enough. And then, I'll be free from you."

Malfoy smirked, leaning a little towards her, "Sure you won't miss working with me, partner?"

Rose feigned thinking about it, and said, "I'll probably lose sleep and my appetite from missing you so much. But I'll get over it eventually, don't worry." She was able to keep her serious face for about two seconds before letting out a quiet laugh.

Malfoy looked surprised and amused at the same time, "First, you stuff yourself with chocolate, then you joke with me. You're full of surprises these days, dear partner."

"I'm just in a good mood because we're almost done with Professor Hazebrown's assignment," she said.

"Well, I like you when you're in a good mood, so keep it up," he told her with a smile.

She suddenly felt flustered after hearing him say 'I like you' which reminded her of the conversation she had last night.

_"And here I thought you maybe had a thing for Scorpius Malfoy." _–_ "It's obviously the other way around."_

Scorpius Malfoy having a thing for her? Impossible. Why everyone kept making comments about the two of them anyway? They weren't even friends. Heck, they couldn't even tolerate one another. And she had cleared things up with him after the strange dream she had, and it was clear he did not have feelings for her, and she did not have feelings for him. So, why was it bothering her so much?

"Partner?" His voice made her come back to reality. He was waving his hand in front of her face.

"What?" She merely said.

"I know I can be quite an entertaining sight, but having you staring at me like that is kind of unsettling," he told her.

"Staring? I wasn't staring at you," she denied, shaking her head. Or was she? She was spacing out, after all.

He raised his eyebrow, not believing her, "Really? Then what were you doing?"

"I was... thinking." That was the truth.

"And might I ask about what?"

"About what great things I could do now that we're done working together," she quickly said.

"You're so going to miss these little sessions together," he said confidently.

"About as much as you will, I think," she retorted.

"Yep, that's what I was saying," he smirked. "Let's go now," he gathered up their papers, stood up and started to leave the room.

Rose frowned. These days, she just couldn't tell when he was serious or not. Her eyes widened. And _that_ was exactly why she was feeling so confused, she realized. So that was his plan from the start, messing with her head. She knew it.

She stood up and muttered an angry "Malfoy."

He apparently had already left the library, so she rushed out in order to catch him, but while being careful not to make any noise, she was still in the library after all.

She angrily slammed the door open but closed it quietly, and looked around. She was surprised to see Scorpius Malfoy, leaning against a wall a few meters away from her, apparently waiting for her.

He raised an eyebrow, "Why are you angry now?"

Once the surprise was gone, the steel in her eyes was back. She walked up to him and pointed her finger accusingly at him, "You."

He tilted his head, "I'm pretty sure that is not an appropriate answer to the question 'why'. A 'because of you,' maybe but–"

"This was your plan from the start, wasn't it?" She interrupted him, ignoring his attempt to be funny.

"Ok, now I really don't understand what you're saying. What do you think I did?" He looked genuinely confused, but Rose ignored it.

"You're playing mind games with me," she accused. "You were trying to get into my head and mess it all up," she was starting to act like a mad person now, "But I am not stupid. I won't be fooled so easily."

He sighed, "Seriously, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"A truce?" She scoffed angrily, "Yeah right. I always knew this was fishy."

He rolled his eyes and chuckled dryly, "Come on, humor me then, what was that big evil plan I had in mind?"

"Suddenly being nice to me, and dropping a few strange sentences, and leaving me confused," she explained confidently as if she had just discovered his biggest secret.

He straightened up and smirked, "Confused?"

"And out of my mind," she added.

"Confused about what?" He took a step closer. He was so enjoying this.

"About you," she retorted. "But you already know that because you're the one who made me like that."

Another step closer. "Like what?"

"Out of my mind," she repeated. "Weren't you listening to me?"

One more step. "Couldn't you be more specific?"

"Thinking strange things, coming to strange conclusions, and every single time I would open my eyes and find a rational explanation, you'd just come back and act strange again, and it would start all over again."

They were now a few inches away from each other. "Still not specific enough."

"Just admit it, Malfoy. You were flirting with me to play a prank on me!" She finally snapped.

He paused, crossed his arms and chuckled, "And why would I want to do that?"

"I don't know, you're the one with the twisted mind, you tell me."

"Well, I don't know either, since I didn't do it," he said. He really was flirting with her in his own way, but it certainly wasn't a prank.

She shook her head, "Of course you would deny it, but I don't believe you."

"Too bad, because I really didn't," he insisted.

She seemed to calm down a litlle, but she still kept her head high and crossed her arms, "Say it clearly while looking straight at me and maybe I'll believe you."

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked right into her eyes, "I wasn't trying to pull a prank on you, I swear."

She stared at him, briefly lost into his eyes, but she quickly came back to her senses, moved his hands away and looked away from him, "Fine, I'll believe you."

"You look flustered." He leaned in a little, smirking, "Did you by chance fall for me, partner?"

"As if that would happen," she scoffed confidently, "I am not used to being wrong, that's all. But it's okay, because if that means you weren't trying to flirt – genuinely or not – with me, that's great."

He leaned back, raising his eyebrow, "Do you know who you're talking to?"

"I do, and that is exactly why I'm saying that."

He looked at her with a sad-but-not-really expression on his face, "You're wounding me, partner. And here I thought we were becoming friends."

"I would've said 'when hell freezes over,' but we both know this is even more likely to happen than us becoming friends," she deadpanned and then said, "Now, let's go find Lena and Damon."

"You're right, I would never be able to be friends with such a bossy girl," he told her as he started to walk next to her.

"That would still be far better than being friends with an arrogant prick like you," she retorted.

xxxxx

"So, do you have a date for Valentine's Day?" Damon casually asked Lena as they were waiting for Scorpius and Rose to be finished with their studying session of the day. They didn't join them at the library since they both had had enough of this place for the week.

"I do not, apparently because most people think I'm dating you," she joked.

"Oh, so you heard that too," he chuckled and leaned back a bit, "In their defense, I don't usually hang out with a girl so much."

"You're good friends with Sicilia, too," Lena pointed out.

"Well, yes. But that's Sicilia, I've been friends with her since our first year here."

"Just like me and Peter," Lena thought out loud.

"But, unlike you, I am not in love with her," he said. "She's too much of a strong and independant girl for me."

Lena chuckled, "She does have that strong aura around her, making it hard to approach her."

"Exactly, even though she's in fact really nice and adorable," he said. "Anyway, back to the original issue. If Crawford doesn't ask you out, we could spend the day together."

"What? You, Damon Stones, don't have a date for Valentine's Day?" She gasped jokingly.

"I could have, but didn't want to. I tend to avoid that day, too much of a mushy atmosphere for my taste. But with you, it'd be just another day like the others."

"But then, everyone would really think we are a couple," she raised an eyebrow, amused.

"I wouldn't mind, you know. If it doesn't work out with Crawford, you can come to me anytime," he smirked.

"Be careful, your playboy's attitude is back," she joked.

"No but seriously, you should use this oppurtunity to tell him how you feel, before I become serious about you and make you change your mind," he said while looking straight into her eyes.

Lena was taken aback. She laughed awkwardly, "What are you talking about?"

"You already know what I'm talking about. I've never hidden the fact that I find you attractive, and we get along pretty well so of course I'd be interested. You're not like the others, I like that, but you also like someone else and I respect that. That's why I'll play fair and give him one last chance."

"You know I won't change my mind, right?" She said somewhat weakly.

"No, I don't. And you don't, either."

Lena wasn't used to seeing him acting so serious, and she didn't know how to react.

Thankfully, he streched out and had his usual not-a-care-in-the-world expression back on his face, "Anyway, I just wanted to warn you. But don't let my words bother you, just keep acting like you usually do." He looked at her and grinned, "We're friends, after all."

Before she could respond, they heard two people arguing.

"I always forget you're kind of popular, probably because this concept just goes beyond my understanding," Scorpius mocked.

"I should be the one saying that," Rose spat.

"That's great how easy it is to know you two are around," Damon joked once the two top students of their year were close enough.

"If you're looking for Rose and Scorpius, just follow the angry voices," Lena added humorously.

"Haha, very funny," Rose deadpanned.

"Anyway, let's go," Damon stood up at once and clapped his hands together, "I'm getting hungry."


	11. Chapter 11

First of all, thank you all for your reviews! :D

Also, because recently I've been taking more time to update, I decided to write a longer chapter this time to make up for it, and I'll try to be faster for the next one.

I hope you'll enjoy it (:

xxxxx

* * *

xxxxx

**Chapter 11**

"I don't think I'll be able to go," Rose said to Albus.

"Why? Come on, I really need your help on this one."

"You can ask Lena for advice. Sorry, but I have a lot of work to do," she lied.

"I know you already did all you had to do, and even if you didn't, you have the whole week to finish everything. It's just one afternoon," he insisted.

"What's going on?" Lena appeared along with Peter.

Albus looked at the brunette, "Rose doesn't want to go to Hogsmeade on Saturday."

Lena frowned, "Why? Last week you were totally fine with it."

"I just don't feel like it," Rose said.

"She's saying that, but I'm sure it's because I told her Scorpius would probably join us there," Albus argued. "She looks like she's avoiding him these days."

Albus had noticed that, for the last few days, every time Scorpius would come to talk to him, Rose wasn't with them, simply because she'd manage to find a reason to sneak out before they even noticed Scorpius was around. He had to admit she was quite good at being subtle, since it took him some time to realize her little trick, and only because Scorpius had once made a remark about it.

"I am not avoiding him. I never wanted to hang out with him. And this has nothing to do with this weekend."

"Hey! If you're avoiding him, that means you're breaking your resolution!" Peter realized.

"He's right. You clearly said you'll do your best to get along with him, and avoiding him isn't doing your best at all. You'll have to accept the dare we'll give you," Lena added.

"But I am not avoiding him!" Rose lied again.

"You are, but I'll let you go on this one since you've already spent a lot of time with him these days because of your assignment. But I hope you're avoiding him because of a very good reason, since you're letting down your own cousin for that," Albus tried to make her feel guilty.

"I am not letting you down, you have Lena and Peter to help you find a good gift for Suzy," she retorted.

Albus gave her a look.

"Fine, you have Lena to help you," she corrected. She ignored Peter's 'Hey!' and went on, "And I'm sure whatever you give to Suzy, she'll be thrilled. Even if a thoughtful boyfriend wouldn't have waited the last minute to buy her a present."

"I know, and that's why I absolutely need you. You're the only one who can calm me down and help me not lose my mind and buy something stupid. You know I panic really quickly when it comes to finding a gift, especially at the last minute. That's why I need you, not Lena, and definitely not Peter."

"You do know I'm right here?" the latter said.

"Sorry, mate, but I won't trust someone who got slapped by Tonya Wheeler last year because he gave her _Every Flavor Beans _for Valentine's Day," Albus pointed out.

"I didn't get her _Every _Flavor Beans, I got her _Valentine's _Flavor Beans. They all were red and pink, heart-shaped and contained only good flavours, I thought she'd like it," Peter defended himself, "Plus, she didn't slap me because of my gift choice."

"Right, she slapped you because when you gave her the box, it was only _half-full_," Lena mocked.

"She was twenty minutes late, and we had had a Quidditch practice just before, so I got hungry," he shrugged, knowing it was far from being a good excuse.

Lena rolled her eyes, "You'll never stop to amaze me, and I didn't mean in a good way in case you wondered."

Albus clapped his hands together, "Now back to our original subject," he looked at Rose while keeping his hands like that, "Will you _please _come?"

She thought about it for a few seconds and finally sighed, "Fine, I'll come."

"Thank you, I owe you big time," Albus grinned.

"Why do you owe her?" Suzy appeared from behind Albus, wrapping her arm around his. She gave him a little kiss on the cheek and smiled, "Hey."

"Hey, there," Albus smiled back. "And I owe her because... she'll help me with my Transfiguration assignment."

"Didn't you finish it last week during your weekly studying session?"

"Yes, I did. But I'd like her to review it," he told her. "I found it was too long and wanted another opinion. I really want to have a better grade this time."

"Did the bet also include that or are you genuinely becoming a more serious student?" She asked him jokingly.

Rose frowned at Albus, "You told her about the bet?"

"Of course, I had to explain why I had to postpone our date last time," he said.

"And don't worry, I won't tell anyone, I know you don't want Scorpius to know about this," Suzy immediately assured.

"I'm not worried at all, I know I can trust you," Rose smiled at her. Suzy was such a nice and thoughtful girl.

xxxxx

"So, now that we are alone, will you tell me why you're avoiding Scorpius?" Lena asked Rose later when they were walking towards the Great Hall to have dinner. "And do not try to deny it."

"But I'm really not," Rose lied once again. "At least, not more than usual."

She really couldn't bring herself to tell Lena the truth.

It had been a few days since Rose had confronted Scorpius about his recent behaviour, but she still couldn't stop thinking about it. She had believed him when he said he wasn't pulling a prank on her, even he couldn't lie that well. But she still kept repeating the scene over and over in her head. How he slowly walked twards her. How he grabbed her shoulders. How he looked right into her eyes.

Rose shook her head. She really had to stop thinking about this. About him.

He was Scorpius Malfoy, she should be angry or disgusted every time she'd think about him, not flustered and confused.

Great, now she remembered how he told her, _"You look flustered. Have you by chance fallen for me, partner?"_

She may not have all her head these days, but that's definitely not it. She'd never let that happen.

Anyway, at least she didn't have to see him alone on regular basis anymore, and she really had become really good at avoiding him.

"And you expect me to believe you when you're obviously having an inner fight with yourself," Lena gave her a look.

Rose finally gave in, "Fine, I'm avoiding him. But I can't tell you why since even I don't know why."

"Or you won't admit it to yourself why," Lena pointed out knowingly.

"And why are you avoiding Damon then?" Rose changed the subject.

Lena's cheeks turned a little pink, "He said something weird last time and now I don't know how to face him."

"What did he tell you exactly?"

Lena blushed even more deeply, and she was about to answer when they heard someone call Rose's name. They turned around and saw Marcellus Wilcox smiling at them.

Rose quietly sighed, it was always the worst part of the pre-Valentine's Day. There was less than a week left before that dreadful day, which meant it was the time for her to answer to the cards she'd received.

She felt Lena slightly tap her shoulder, "I'll wait or you at the dinner table with the others." And then Lena walked away from her while Marcellus was walking towards her.

"Hello Rose, how are you?" He nicely greeted her.

"I'm fine, and you Marcellus?" She forced a smile.

"That depends on what you'll say, actually," he shyly told her. "Though I probably know what your answer will be."

Rose couldn't help feeling a bit guilty. Marcellus was really a nice guy, but she just didn't feel that way about him. His small figure and his innocence made her see him like a little brother of some sort.

"Marcellus, I'm really touched, but..."

"But you don't see me like that. I know. I understand," he gave her a small smile.

She smiled apologetically, "Sorry."

He smiled, "Don't be. I'm actually happy, it spared me a dilemma. You see, I decided to finally move on."

She was surprised to hear him say that, "Oh, really?"

"Yes, I kind of found a girl that I may like, but I needed a closure with you so that I wouldn't have any regrets giving you up."

"Oh, I'm really happy to hear that. Who is she?"

"She's a 5th year from Hufflepuff, but I can't tell you more details because I don't want to jinx it," he smiled.

She smiled back, "You really seem to like that girl. I wish you good luck, then. But I'm sure things will work out for you."

"Thank you," he grinned. "In fact, I have to meet her before dinner, so..."

"You can go, of course," she laughed.

He grinned, "See you around, Rose Weasley."

He began to walk away, but quickly stopped, turned around, and smiled gently, "Oh, and good luck to you too."

"You know very well I don't date during this period," she said with a small laugh.

"But you should, or you might end up having regrets. Do like me, stop being stubborn or you might miss out someone great."

She smiled a little, "I'll think about it."

He grinned, "That's all I wanted to hear. I really have to go now, bye!" He waved at her and finally walked away.

"Someone great, huh?" She repeated to herself with a smile.

"You called me?"

Her smile quickly vanished and a frown took its place as she was turning around, "Eavesdropping now, Malfoy? Also, I don't remember calling a prick."

"You're being a little arrogant on this one partner, thinking I might be interested in your love life, that apparently doesn't even exist. I was simply on my way to dinner."

"But you were eavesdropping, or you wouldn't have known the subject of the conversation."

"I heard, that's different," he argued.

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

She started to walk but he stopped her by grabbing her arm, "Wait."

She sighed heavily, and crossed her arms, "What now?"

"Well, it's the first time we talk in a week and I had to tell you something before you start avoiding me again," he simply told her. "You can be sneakier than a ghost when you want, that's quite tiring."

"What do you want to tell me?" She tried to hide the apprehension in her voice.

"Huh, so you're not even denying it," he smirked.

"It's not new that I don't want to be around you, so why should I?" She retorted.

"And you're dead cold again. If I didn't actually know some ghosts, I'd think you really are one."

"Just tell me what you want to say, Malfoy," she told him in a sigh. The less time she'd spend around him, the more at ease her mind would be. "And be quick, because I'm hungry."

"I am too. So let's talk while walking," he said as he started to walk and Rose followed him.

"From what I heard, you're available on Sunday, so how about we meet up on that day?" He then said casually.

Her eyes widened. Seeing him on this Sunday, aka most girls' dream day, aka her yearly nightmare, aka Valentine's Day? Was he trying to ask her out on a date right now?

She tried to stay calm and rational and not jump to conclusions, and asked simply, "Why should we?"

He chuckled, "I am not asking you to be my Valentine, don't worry. Our presentation is for next Friday and we should rehearse it together at least once or twice."

"Still, it would be strange to spend some time alone with you on that day," she said. Not to say she wouldn't be left alone if people saw them together.

"Too bad, it was the perfect time to be able to find a quiet place where to rehearse, since everyone else would be either on a date or moaning because they don't have one," he said.

He had a point. "I'll think about it. By the way, don't you have a date? Since you're so popular and all," that came out with a touch of sarcasm.

"Nope, I don't feel like listening to a girl giggling all day long this week."

Rose rolled her eyes, "That's so like you to say that."

"Well, I am me, so isn't it a given?" he smirked.

They arrived in front of the entrance of the Great Hall.

"See? No time wasted on each other," he joked. "See you around, partner," he said before going to the Slytherin table.

She raised her eyebrow at him, amused. Then, she realized who had made her smile and changed her expression back to an impassive one and finally joined her friends.

"What were you doing with Scorpius? I left you with Marcellus," Lena asked as Rose was sitting next to her.

"He saw me after I was finished talking with Marcellus, we talked about our assignment," Rose simply said.

"Really? Because from there it looked like he was asking you out for Valentine's Day," Minzy chimed in.

Rose rolled her eyes, "You really should stop jumping to conclusions. And especially to _that_ kind of conclusions." She made a face.

"Well, maybe he wasn't. But you have to admit there was more than study talk going on there," Violetta pointed out.

"I agree," Rose said, "There was also some arguing involved. And Malfoy being a prick."

"Girls, just leave her alone with this, ok?" Lena told them.

Minzy and Violetta considered the question, and finally said while crossing their arms, "Fine."

"And where are Albus and Peter?" Rose asked.

"Albus must still be with Suzy, but he should be here soon. But I don't know about Peter, maybe they met up or something," Lena replied.

"I saw Peter talking to Petunia Whitworth before, maybe he's still with her," Minzy told them.

Rose immediately saw Lena's expression changing.

"Why would he be with her?" Lena tried to ask casually.

"I couldn't hear but it seemed to be a serious conversation," Minzy said, apparently oblivious of Lena's change of mood.

"Why didn't you get closer? Maybe he was asking her out for Valentine's Day," Violetta gasped.

"I couldn't, there were too many people between us and then Gray came to talk to me and I just couldn't walk away from him, you know," Minzy said.

"Right, I see the struggle. So did he ask you out?" Violetta asked, excited.

"No, but I think he might soon," she replied just as excited.

Lena and Rose couldn't help but smile at their friend's happiness.

And Rose had to admit this time of the year didn't have only bad sides.

xxxxx

"I'm beat," Rose said as she was on her way back from Quidditch practice with the rest of the team.

"Me too, you can't imagine how glad I am that we exceptionally don't have practice this weekend," Albus said.

"That's the only good thing about that weekend," Rose remarked.

"Oh, my little and sweet Rosie, the perpetual cynical when it comes to this romantic day," James chimed in, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Still keeping your little promise not to date any bloke during that period?"

"Of course. And I'm a little surprised you're trying to make me change my mind, too," she eyed him.

"Oh, I am not. I'm thrilled that you're not easily impressed and won't date just anyone," he told her, "But I think you hate the day just a little bit too much."

"So, you want me to go on a date on Valentine's Day?" Rose raised her eyebrow at him.

"No, I just want you to do what you want to do. If you don't feel like going out with anyone, that's ok. But if you're forcing yourself to say no to everyone just because you decided years ago that you hated that day, I think you might regret it later."

"Huh, you're surprisingly wise today, James," Albus joked.

James smirked proudly, "I have my moments."

"By the way, I heard you have some pretty good options this year, you should seriously consider it," Sylvia Summer, a fellow Quidditch player chimed in. "I know for sure that a really sweet boy who also happens to be quite pleasing to look at named Loann Lebron is fond of you."

"Loann Lebron? Interesting..." James said.

"Not interesting," Rose immediately rebuked him, "And don't try and go talk to him because there is no need."

"Why, do you want to protect him?" James teased her.

"I never even had a real conversation with him, so no," she said in a deadpan voice.

"That's why you should try to get to know him," Sylvia insisted.

"You're saying this only because you're his friend," Rose argued.

"Well yes, because I know how great he is," she said. When Rose gave her a look, she added, "And Tyler, you know my great boyfriend who also happens to be Loann's best friend, asked me to try to talk to you."

"Poor little Rose, being so popular must be rough," Peter joked.

"I wonder why everyone is so interested in my love life anyway," Rose commented.

"I am because I'm a girl, and a girl on mission."

"I am because I'm your beloved cousin," James said.

"And I am because I'm your _favourite _cousin," Albus added with a smile.

"Well, I'm not really," Peter said, "I have enough trouble having one of my own, so..."

"That reminds me, I heard you were with Petunia the other day," Rose implied. Maybe it was the occasion to get answers.

"Ah, no, we were just–" he began to say but was interrupted by Lena calling their names.

She jogged towards them, "Hey guys, I was tired of waiting for you so I decided to come myself. So, how was practice?"

"Pretty exhausting actually, would you be kind and massage my shoulders later?" Peter feigned to be in pain.

Lena smiled maliciously, "And why not now?"

He grinned, "Really?"

She nodded, and put her hands on his shoulders, and then pinched both sides of his neck, which made him cringe out of pain.

"You are a horrible woman, Lena Reynolds," he gasped as Lena high-fived both Albus and James.

"I beg to differ, you are amazing, Lena Reynolds," James commented with a grin, while everyone except Peter was laughing.

How ironic. Rose would have been able to get the answer Lena wanted if it wasn't for the latter. Well, there would always be other opportunities, it wasn't really hard to get information out of Peter Crawford after all.

xxxxx

It was Saturday, and our little group of Gryffindor students just went out of the _Gems' Cauldron_, a popular jewellery shop in Hogsmeade.

"Thank you so much, I don't know what I would've done without you Rose," Albus grinned while taking a last look at the wrapped box he was holding before putting it in his pocket.

Rose smiled, "I didn't really do anything. You were the one who chose it, I just confirmed your choice."

"If you hadn't I would've spent the whole afternoon trying to decide," he insisted.

She chuckled, "Fine, you're welcome."

Peter yawned, "All this shopping drained my energy, how about we get some energy back at the Three Broomsticks Inn?"

Lena rolled her eyes at him, smiling, "Of course you'd suggest that."

"Well, I wanted to make a quick stop at _Tomes and Scrolls_, I have a book to buy, but you can go and I'll join you after that, it won't take long anyway," Rose said.

"Don't you ever get sick of constantly being around books? Especially the really dusty ones, it's unhealthy you know," Peter commented.

"Your school books are even dustier, and yet you're never sick, so I think I'm out of danger," Rose retorted.

"That's because I don't use them," he explained proudly.

"Why am I even trying to have a conversation with him?" Rose joked.

"If only I had the answer," Lena sighed humorously.

They were now in front of the pub.

"See you later then," Rose said as her friends entered the place.

xxxxx

Scorpius, Damon and Sicilia were already at the Inn when the students from Gryffindor arrived.

"Already finished with your little shopping Potter?" Scorpius said as a greeting.

"Yes, all thanks to Rose. She might be a fairy instead of a wizard," Albus joked as he, Peter and Lena took a seat.

"A fairy? More like the Wicked Witch," Scorpius scoffed.

Peter was already getting angry but Lena calmed him down by putting her hand on his arm.

"And where is she now?" Sicilia asked while looking around.

"Probably everywhere but here. She's putting a lot of effort in avoiding me these days," Scorpius said sardonically.

"And I totally understand her," Peter automatically responded.

"She's at _Tomes and Scrolls_, and she'll join us later," Albus assured them before the boys could start a fight.

"I suggest we go order our butterbeers, I really need a drink," Peter said while glaring at Scorpius.

He and Albus got up, and Lena was doing the same, but the two boys stopped her.

"Stay here, we got it," Albus assured her.

"But..." She tried to argue, but they were already gone.

She sat back and let out a sigh. It was awkward to sit right next to Damon alone. Well, there were Sicilia and Scorpius, too, but they were sitting at the other side, which felt really far from them right now.

"So, have you and Rose taken the same lessons?" Damon whispered to her with a smirk.

Lena frowned, "What lessons?"

"The how-to-avoid-someone ones," he explained.

She looked away, embarrassed, "I wasn't avoiding you."

"And I never said who I thought you were avoiding, and yet you immediately assumed it was me," he smirked.

She sighed, "Sorry, I just..." She couldn't find her words.

"What's with all the whispering, you two?" Sicilia suddenly asked them with a smile.

"I was telling her... Something personal. But if I told you what, you'd probably hit me," Damon implied with his usual smirk on his face and a wink.

Lena hit his arm, "Stop saying nonsense."

Sicilia chuckled, "I think Lena's already doing a good job at hitting you."

"We hang out with too many dangerous girls, I'm telling you," Damon complained to Scorpius.

"They're dangerous because they're smart enough to think on their own. Why don't we leave and go find some airheads instead?" Scorpius joked. And that earned him a slap on the back of his head from Sicilia.

"Scratch that. They're dangerous because they're just plain violent," he said while massaging the back of his head and glaring at his childhood friend.

"Exactly, so you shouldn't give us any reason to hit you," Sicilia smiled maliciously.

Lena chuckled and looked on her right to see if Peter and Albus were coming back, but her smile disappeared as soon as her eyes found them.

They were with Suzy and Petunia. And Petunia was hugging tightly Peter. The rumours must have been right, Lena realized sadly.

"I'm sure that's just her way of being friendly," she heard Damon tell her.

She couldn't take her eyes off them, but still replied, "It's one heck of a long hug to be just friendly."

"Then it's your fault for not giving him a reason to reject her," he said quietly.

She finally turned her head and glared at him for rubbing it in. But she was glad they could still interact normally.

"We've got our drinks, and in bonus more company," she then heard Albus announce happily.

"I don't think girls that are already taken are a bonus," Damon remarked probably instinctively, then looked at the girls and added with one of his famous smiles, "But you're still good company, of course."

"Sorry, Pretty Boy, but girls that look like us never stay alone for a long time," Petunia bragged.

And here was the confirmation Lena had feared.

"I don't doubt it," Damon told her, "Though I know at least two gorgeous girls that weirdly do." He put his arm around Lena's shoulders and pointed his chin at Sicilia to emphasize his point.

Sicilia just shook her head with a small smile, not bothering to react to his pseudo-charming behaviour.

Lena would normally roll her eyes or call him a playboy, but right now she weirdly felt like he was trying to cheer her up, so she just gave him a look, "Well, people thinking I'm taken even though I'm not doesn't really help."

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked, obviously not aware of that rumour.

She looked at him confidently, loving the fact that the tables had turned, and said, "Some people seem to think I'm dating Damon."

Peter scoffed bitterly, "Those people clearly don't know you."

"Pete, you're being mean," Petunia rebuked him as a proper girlfriend should before smiling at Lena, "I also got the feeling you'd make a good couple, you know."

Lena was starting to regret bringing up that rumour, since it was now a little awkward to talk about it after Damon had told her he was seriously interested in her. And she felt guilty for using him to get back at Peter, again.

"People just see relationships everywhere as Valentine's Day is coming, that's all," she therefore tried to change the subject.

"Can we not have one day where we wouldn't talk about that awfully cheesy holiday?" Scorpius complained.

Lena chuckled, "Too bad Rose isn't here to hear you say that, she would have been thrilled someone shared her opinion on this, even if that someone is you."

"The more I think about it, the more I believe you two have a lot in common, you know," Albus told Scorpius.

"And if she was here to hear you say that, she would have been greatly offended," Scorpius assured him.

xxxxx

Rose was about to pick a book when someone beat her at it, not without brushing a strand of her hair in the process.

She had a feeling of a déjà-vu and froze. Was it him again?

"Sorry, were you about to take that book?" The owner of the hand asked her softly.

It wasn't him, but she still recognized the voice.

She turned around, a bit surprised, but still smiled politely, "Loann, hello. Yes but don't worry, I'm sure they have more than one exemplar." She saw a woman working at the bookstore not far and asked her, "Excuse me, do you have another exemplar of this, please?"

The woman got closer, squinting and holding her glasses closer to her face as she was trying to remember, then said apologetically, "Sorry, dear. It's our last one."

"Oh, well it's not like I absolutely wanted this one, anyway," she lied. She loved Illyanna Fortenberry's work and this was her latest novel.

"Your face says otherwise," Loann told her, chuckling. He handed her the book, "You should take it."

Her face lightened up, "Really?" Then she felt a little guilty, "No, I can't accept. You were faster than me, it's ok. I'll buy it another time."

He pondered the question a few seconds before giving in, "Fine, I'll take it then."

She couldn't help but feel disappointed. Truth was, she was merely being polite, but she thought he'd still let her have it.

"I'll go pay for it," he told her before leaving her alone in the aisle.

She began to search for something else to read, when the book she wanted so bad reappeared right in front of her face.

She frowned, "What are you doing?" Was he purposely rubbing it in her face? She'd never pictured him as that kind of guy.

"I bought the book, and now I'm lending it to you," he simply told her.

"Why would you do that?"

"You didn't want me to give it to you. You never said anything about lending it to you," he smiled.

She bit her lip to hold back her smile, "But don't you want to read it?"

"I know you're a quick reader, just give it back to me once you're finished. I have other books to read in the meantime." He handed it to her.

"Well, I guess refusing now would be rude, wouldn't it?" She said in a falsely serious tone.

He nodded jokingly, "Very rude."

She finally took the book in her hands, "Ok, I accept it then. But only because I don't want to offend you. And I'll give it back to you as soon as I finish it."

They both started to head out of the store.

"If you don't, just know I'll be forced to send some dangerous creatures after you to get it back," he advised her.

She chuckled, "Fair enough."

Once they were out of the story, Loann said, "So, I guess you're going to join Albus and the others?"

"Yes, they're waiting for me at the Three Broomsticks Inn, and you?"

"I left Tyler back at _Honeydukes_, which means he's probably still there," he joked.

"Well, if you guys come at the Three Broomsticks later, feel free to join us," she smiled at him, "I'll buy you a drink to thank you."

"But that would wipe out all the purity of my kindness, I can't accept," he joked.

She chuckled, "Sorry, I was being rude again."

"It's ok, just don't do it again."

"Yes, Sir," she laughed. "So, see you around then."

He smiled and nodded slightly, "See you around, Rose."

She started to walk away when she heard him call her. She stopped and turned around, "Yes?"

He looked nervous. He was scratching the back of his head and wasn't looking at her, "I didn't mean to ask you since I already knew the answer, but now that we talked I really can't let you go without asking."

She frowned, "Ask me what?" Her eyes widened the second she'd finished her sentence, remembering he was interested in her. "Oh, that," she said before he could even answer.

"I know about your decision concerning Valentine's Day, but we seemed to get along pretty well so I thought that maybe..."

She sighed, feeling guilty, "Listen Loann, I already knew you were a really nice guy and now I know you're also very funny, but–"

"But you should think about it," he cut her off with a smile. "Don't think about it as a date, but just a way to get to know each other better. You don't have to answer me now, but just know that if you change your mind, I have no other plans for tomorrow."

She smiled, "Thank you."

He frowned, "For what? Asking you out?"

"For not being pushy or anything," she explained with a smile, before feeling guilty again, "But I really don't want to give you false hope."

"I'm just asking for one chance. I also could wait for this period to be over, but I was afraid someone else would be faster than me," he told her. "Anyway, just think about it, and tell me if you change your mind. I have to go join Tyler before he actually realizes he spent more than an hour in _Honeydukes_." He told her as he was quickly walking away from her, not giving her the time to reply anything to him.

Once he was out of sight, she also went to join her friends.

xxxxx

Rose entered the _Three Broomsticks Inn_ and began to search for her friends. When her eyes immediately caught them as they were sitting at the biggest table of the pub, she realized their little group wasn't so little anymore.

Even Petunia was there, probably much to Lena's displeasure, since the girl from Ravenclaw seemed to be pretty close with Peter again.

Rose walked towards them and before she could even announce herself, she heard Peter exclaim, "Ah Rose, you're finally here."

She smiled at him and greeted everyone before taking the seat next to Lena.

"I was starting to think the books had swallowed you. Those things can be bloody dangerous sometimes," Peter commented.

"You and your bibliophobia," Lena shook her head.

"My what?" Peter frowned.

"Bibliophobia," she repeated, "It means fear of books."

"Then why didn't you say that from the start? You know I don't like complicated words."

"Oh right, I'm sorry, I forgot who I was talking to," she mocked.

"It's fine, as long as you don't do it again," he said, not looking the bit insulted.

"So, did you buy the book you wanted?" Albus asked Rose, deciding to ignore his silly friend's silly remark.

"Well, I didn't buy it, but yes I have it," she answered vaguely.

Suzy frowned, "Do they lend books now? Last time I went there they didn't."

"No, they still don't, sadly."

Petunia gasped, "Then, did you…," she whispered the end of her sentence, "steal it?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "Do you even know who you're talking to? Of course she didn't steal it."

Rose frowned at him, "I should be glad you don't see me as a thief, but why does it still sound like an insult?"

"Because it's Scorpius who said that about you," Peter quickly explained.

"Guys, can't we go back to the subject, please?" Petunia, as curious as ever, exclaimed. She leaned a little towards Rose, her chin resting on her hand, and asked, "So, how come you have it then?"

"Someone simply lent it to me," she answered once again vaguely.

"You found someone willing to do that just now, and that had the book on them? You're really lucky," Petunia remarked.

"I guess I am," she didn't give any more details. She didn't want Petunia to spread rumours about them.

"Let's talk about something more fun. I haven't asked you yet, but do you have a date for tomorrow?" Petunia asked cheerfully.

Scorpius suddenly looked more interested about the conversation. He leaned in a little, smirked, and asked in a mocking manner, "Yes, do you?"

Rose just grunted, "I'm so glad we'll be over with this after tomorrow."

"So I assume you don't," Petunia answered for her.

"I chose not to," she told her, "Valentine's Day's just not my cup of tea."

"Why? Valentine's Day is a wonderful day," Petunia exclaimed.

"No, it's a stressful day," Rose argued. "It's stressful for the girls who don't have a date. It's stressful for the boys who have to live up to their girlfriends' expectations. And it's stressful for the girls whose boyfriends don't live up to their expectations."

"I couldn't agree more with you," Damon smirked. "That's why it's the best period for a guy like me to be single. No pressure or money wasted on gifts, and lots of girls to cheer up the day after."

"Please Damon, stop being so romantic, it's embarrassing," Sicilia said sardonically while shaking her head.

"Hey, at least I'm honest with myself," he said.

"The thing is, you're not," Sicilia argued calmly.

He frowned at her, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't expect me to make things easier for you and answer that. You figure it out on your own," she told him.

"Is it a lovers' quarrel?" Petunia asked them, excited. Then tilted her head, looking a little lost, "But I thought Damon and Lena were interested in each other."

"And you should stop thinking," Lena remarked.

But Petunia didn't seem to have heard her and gasped, "Is it a love triangle, then?" She looked at Damon and asked him, "Who do you prefer, Lena or Sicilia?"

"I prefer a girl who isn't smarter than me," he answered with a smirk.

"See, that's what I was taking about. You're always putting on a façade," Sicilia argued.

Damon frowned for a nanosecond before having his seductive smile on his face again, "Why, are you disappointed I didn't say I liked you better?"

"You know very well I'm not, I'm too smart for that," she deadpanned.

He smiled slightly at her, before looking at Petunia, "And that's why I don't like smarter girls. They're smart enough to know they shouldn't like me."

"Guess I'm not really smart, then," Petunia smiled flirtatiously at him.

"Hey, you're taken now remember?" Peter warned her.

"Come on, it's just the way I am. I'm not seriously interested," she assured him.

Rose saw Lena roll her eyes, trying not to pay attention to them. She felt bad for her friend and decided it was time to change the subject and began to talk about Quidditch.

xxx

They now were all taking a walk before going back to Hogwarts. Albus and Peter were still talking about Quidditch. Behind them, Suzy was trying to help Sicilia get rid of Petunia since the latter was out for gossips again, and she didn't have anyone else to give her information about the boys from Slytherin. Scorpius and Damon had been able to escape Petunia on their own, saying it was girls' talk, and were now behind them, talking to each other. And finally, Lena and Rose were the farthest behind, a little out of the group.

Lena didn't feel like blending in right now, especially with Petunia around.

"You know, they never actually said they were going out, maybe it's all a misunderstanding," Rose tried to cheer her up. "When I asked him last time, even though you interrupted us before he could answer, I was sure he was about to tell me it wasn't like that."

"Thank you, but I'm not stupid. First, Minzy sees them together, and today they hug each other and she's all happy about spending Valentine's Day with her boyfriend. It's easy to connect the dots."

"But don't you think he would've told us?"

"Why should he? It was already pretty obvious," Lena spat, "I'm sure she's only playing with him because she doesn't want to be alone for Valentine's Day."

"This holiday is only trouble, seriously," Rose automatically commented.

Lena chuckled slightly, "You know what your attitude towards Valentine's Day reminds me?"

Rose frowned, "No, but I'm sure you'll tell me."

"You decided you hated it since years ago, and never gave it a chance. As soon as someone mentions it, you can't help but making a remark to express how much you hate it. It's automatic for you to hate it and be on the defensive when you're facing it, even if there is no real reason for you to be like that anymore. So, doesn't it make you think about you attitude towards someone we know?" Lena asked knowingly.

"I do have reasons not to like Malfoy," Rose argued.

"Like what? And don't say because he's arrogant and a prick."

"Why? These are good reasons," she insisted.

"No, they're not. We hang out with plenty of arrogant people, but you only have a problem with Scorpius. And have you not noticed he's not that much of a prick anymore? He's actually nice and fun to be with," Lena told her.

"I'm really starting to think Damon has a very bad influence on your judgement," Rose joked.

"You can be so stubborn, it's unbelievable," Lena sighed, "But fine, I won't insist. Just know that they have one last thing in common: you should both give them a chance."

Rose looked at her friend as if she was crazy, "I think I'm fine like that, thanks."

"You know what? I don't care. For once, I won't let you off the hook this easily." The sudden glint in Lena's eyes was scaring Rose.

"What are you…" She started to ask, but before she could end her sentence, Lena took her by the arm, pulled her with her towards the Slytherin boys, saying she needed to talk Damon and that she was entrusting Rose to Scorpius, and dragged Damon more towards the front, leaving Rose and Scorpius together at the back, who had both stopped walking due to the shock.

Scorpius frowned, looking at Lena still dragging Damon, "What's got into her? Did she have too much butterbeer or what?"

"For entrusting me to you, I'm sure she did," Rose scoffed. She then sighed, "I'll just go join Albus and Peter."

She started to walk but he held her back by gripping her arm, which seemed to have become a habit for him, "The hell you are! And leaving me alone? Do you want me to go back to that crazy girl?" He was probably talking about Petunia.

"I don't care what you do, as long as you stay away from me," she remarked.

He suddenly pulled her towards him as he was still holding her arm, so that their faces were only a few inches apart, and smirked, "And what if I don't?"

She frowned at his behaviour, but still moved away from him and said, "Then I'll just go away myself."

She began to walk again, but not as fast as before. She just didn't want to lose the rest of the group. He was now walking next to her.

"Come on, it was fine when we were working together. Why are you still being like that?"

She knew he was kind of right, but the closer they were, the more she felt the need to run away as far as she could.

"Is it because I found out the truth?" He then asked her.

She frowned, "What truth?"

"That you've in fact fallen in love with me," he said matter-of-factly, "You've been avoiding me since then, after all."

She rolled her eyes, "I am not in love with you. I don't even like you."

"So, you won't have any problem with working with me tomorrow? I believe you don't have anything else to do anyway."

"I do, I have a book to read as quickly as I can so I can give it back to its owner," she said.

"Ah right, I'm actually curious about the details of that story."

"Why are you?"

"Because it sounds fishy," he merely said.

"There was only one exemplar left, we saw it at the same time but he was faster than me at taking it, so I let him have it, but he kindly offered to lend it to me. That's all."

"And who is that he?"

"Loann Lebron, why?" He was acting weirder and weirder.

"Just to know who was crazy enough to flirt with you," he told her.

She was about to deny it, but then she realized he really was, or he wouldn't have asked her out after that. So she just said, "He isn't crazy."

"Yes he is, because apparently he lent you a book he was as excited to read as you and you didn't even accept to go on a date with him. I actually feel a little sad for the lad you know."

She raised her eyebrow, surprised at how right he was but not letting it show, "And what makes you think he asked me out? Or even what my answer was?"

"It's the day before Valentine's Day, of course he'd take the chance. As for your answer, the fact that you're intending to spend tomorrow's afternoon with his book rather than with him just says it all."

Why did that prick have to be smart?

"Anyway, tell me if you change your mind. It would be really convenient if we could just rehearse our presentation tomorrow," he then said.

"I won't see you tomorrow. As you said, I'd rather spend my time with a book rather than his perfectly nice owner, so how would I go and see you?"

"Because it wouldn't be a date. And you like to work, even if it's with me."

Since when did he know her that well?

She crossed her arms, "I still prefer the book. And even if it's for work, I'll never spend Valentine's Day with you, I can't handle the two things I hate the most at the same ti–"

She suddenly slid on a little patch of ice, and couldn't maintain her balance quickly enough since she was crossing her arms. But she felt a hand on her right arm, and an arm wrapping around her waist, which kept her from falling.

"How many times will I have to do that?" Scorpius asked arrogantly, still holding her. But his expression suddenly changed into a more serious one as he was looking at her.

And that's when she pushed him away, "Stop it, the white knight character doesn't suit you."

"I see you still don't know how to say thank you," he joked.

"Come on, we're losing the rest of the group," she merely said before walking quickly, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"And that you're as bossy as ever, too," he mocked before following her.

xxx

"So, since when do you play matchmakers?" Damon asked Lena once they were far enough from their friends.

"What do you mean?" She acted innocent.

"The whole leaving Rose and Scorpius alone. That's unusual for you to do that kind of things."

She shrugged, "Well, it's about time they become friends."

"You should worry about your own relationships problems first," he remarked.

She glared at him, "I don't want to." She instinctively looked at Peter who was still walking far in front of them.

Damon added, "It's not too late you know, just grow some balls and tell him how you feel," he then frowned and felt obliged to add, "I shouldn't have used that expression."

She couldn't help chuckling, even if her smile didn't reach her eyes, "Are you really giving me advice for my relationship with him?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, "Why not? I told you I like to play fair."

"Confident much?" She chuckled.

"I do have a lot of faith in me. Also, I don't want you to choose me just because you couldn't tell him the truth. That would hurt my ego, and you know my ego is precious to me," he joked again.

She looked at him, "Sicilia's right, you really can't be serious more than ten seconds."

Damon made a face, "Sicilia's wrong. That's just who I am."

"I think she may know you better than you know yourself," Lena commented.

"She thinks she does, that's different," he argued.

"If you say so," Lena decided to let it go. She'd already meddled in Rose's business; that was enough for today.

xxxxx

Later, Rose was on her bed, reading. Or more like, trying to read. She was supposed to devour that book, but here she was, not paying attention to the story at all.

She hated the fact that she couldn't stay concentrated, and she hated even more the fact that it was because she couldn't stop thinking about that prick, again.

Why did he have to pull her towards him, or to look at her the way he did anyway, huh?

She really didn't like what was happening in her head right now.

She couldn't keep being like that anymore. She had to do something about it.

That's when she remembered Lena's advice, and finally decided to listen to it, but only half of it. She jumped out of her bed and went out of the dormitories to go talk to him. She quickly found him, and started to walk straight towards him. She could feel the eyes of the other students on her as she was now standing right in front of him. She didn't blame them, it really was an unusual sight.

He merely looked at her, not really knowing what to expect, and asked, "What's happening?"

She had a very determined look on her face, but truth was she was starting to think this was a very bad idea. So, before she could wriggle out, she told him something that surprised everyone, including herself, "I changed my mind about tomorrow."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

Lena was sitting alone in front of the fire. Everyone else was asleep. Which was normal since it was passed midnight already.

But she couldn't fall asleep. She was too busy thinking about her.

While she as staring at the fire burning, a mug suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking the view.

"Here, it'll warm you up a bit," she heard him say.

Her eyes widened a little out of surprise, but she merely took the mug and said, "I'm not cold."

Peter sat next to her, and began to stare at the fire just like her, "It'll warm you up from the inside."

She smiled at him, "Thank you." She took a sip. It was hazelnut hot chocolate, her favourite flavour.

"You're welcome," he replied, taking a sip of the drink he'd brought for himself.

"So, how come you're still awake?" She eventually asked.

His facial expression changed from a serious and cool one to his usual carefree one. He sighed loudly and leaned back a bit, "Albus was snoring like a troll, I couldn't fall asleep at all."

She chuckled, "Poor you."

"I know. I should ask Rose to give me that spell that can make people's snoring stop."

"I'm not sure you'd be able to use it correctly, though," she teased him.

He made a disappointed face, "Right." He drank from his mug again, still looking at the fire.

She stared at him for a few seconds, smiling. She couldn't help noticing he didn't ask her why she was still awake. Simply because he already knew the answer. And he'd never complained about Albus snoring before.

He suddenly looked at her, and he gasped in an exaggerated manner, "Do I have something on my face or what?"

She chuckled, "Yes, you have some milk chocolate on your nose, you idiot."

He quickly wiped it off with his free hand, and asked her, "How did you know it was milk chocolate?"

She shrugged, "Because you're still a kid and that's your favourite hot drink."

"I'm not a kid," he exclaimed loudly, just like a kid would have.

She began to laugh, "Are you sure?"

He began to pout, staring at the fire, and drinking.

Lena's face became serious again, and she suddenly said, "Peter, you know, I–"

"Peteeer!" An annoyingly high-pitched voice interrupted her. It was Petunia. "What are you doing with her? You're with me, remember?"

Peter stood up, and put his hand on Petunia's cheek, "You know I only love you." He then looked at Lena with a kind of mean smirk, "Lena's a friend, nothing more."

Petunia giggled and kissed him, "You're right, sorry. Of course nothing would happen between you two."

She took him by the arm and led him towards the exit of the room while talking about their next date, leaving her like that. She wanted to say something, anything to make him stay, but couldn't. All she could do was watching them walking away.

Then, it wasn't night anymore. And Lena's eyes hurt a little because of the sudden light. Once they were used to it, she realized she was staring at her dormitory's roof.

She sighed. It was just a dream. Or more like a nightmare. Now, that annoying girl was even interfering in her good memories.

She stood up, and began to get ready, trying not to think about that.

xxxxx

When Rose woke up, she realized what she had done.

"_I changed my mind about tomorrow."_

She suddenly felt embarrassed. Why did she have to tell him that in front of everyone in their common room? Ah right, because she lost it for about a few minutes. All because of that stupid prick.

If he hadn't messed up with her head, she would never have accepted a date on Valentine's Day. A date with a very nice guy, yes, but still on Valentine's Day. And everyone in school had probably already heard about that little scene she made.

She buried herself into her cover. She so didn't want to go have breakfast right now.

She'd always been the kind to think before acting. But she'd broken this rule of hers yesterday, not to mention she other rule she'd shattered during the process.

"Rose Weasley, what have you done?" She said to herself, still under her cover.

"You have basically said you'd be willing to go on a date with Loann Lebron in front of the whole Gryffindor house," she heard Lena answer. "Now, stop acting like a child and stop hiding."

She obeyed, and glared at her best friend, "Thank you for rubbing it in."

"Hey, don't blame me for your own actions."

"You should've kept me from doing it," Rose retorted.

"How? When I saw you, you were already standing in front of Loann. Plus, it's not that bad. I'm sure you'll have fun."

Rose calmed down, and gave in, "You're right. Loann's really nice, and I had fun talking to him yesterday."

"See? Now, get ready so we can go eat breakfast."

Rose sighed as she was standing up, "Fine."

xxxxx

The two girls were now on their way to the Great Hall. And just as Rose had imagined, everyone was whispering and glancing at her.

"Why did I do that?" She grunted again.

"I actually wanted to ask you that question. Of course, I'm glad you listened to my advice, but I'm kind of surprised."

"I don't know, I was thinking about yesterday afternoon, and suddenly decided to give it a shot. That's all," she said. And that was the truth, only she was more thinking about Malfoy than Loann at that time, and she accepted to go on a date with him only to forget about her archenemy.

"He must've made a really good impression on you, then," Lena concluded.

Rose smiled weakly, not proud to lie to her closest friend, but she really couldn't say the true reason out loud, "I guess he did."

They stopped in front of the Great Hall's entrance.

Rose took a deep breath and said, "Ok, let's go."

Lena nodded and entered the room first, Rose following her closely. As they were walking towards their usual seats, the whole Gryffindor table – where about three quarters of the Gryffindor students were already sitting – was cheering for her.

She lowered her head and quickly sat next to Albus, and Lena next to her. At least, Loann didn't seem to have arrived yet. She didn't want to talk to him about this in front of everyone, again.

"My cousin's all grown up, boldly confessing in public and all," Albus teased her.

"Shut up and eat," she snapped quietly.

He leaned back, "I'm a little disappointed to have missed the whole scene you know."

"Oh, that was terrific. You should've seen the look on her face as she walked towards him, and then said confidently, 'I changed my mind about tomorrow'," Peter re-enacted the scene. "And everyone's jaw dropped, including Loann's. Well, not really, he did have to keep his cool in front of his new Valentine, but I'm sure he was very surprised."

Rose glared and him, and threatened him, "If I were you, I wouldn't bother a girl when she's in a bad mood. Especially when that girl knows a lot of ways to make you suffer."

Peter's smile dropped, and he shuddered a little, "Merlin you can be scary."

Lena and Albus laughed at their friend.

"Anyway, can we just eat peacefully and not talk about this anymore, please?" She begged them.

Albus smiled at her in a comforting way, "Fine, we'll stop." He then added quietly, "At least until you've finished to eat."

Rose hit his arm, "That's not fun." And yet, she was smiling.

Just when Rose thought she could have a little break, she heard a very familiar and very unwanted voice exclaim, "If it isn't the girl of the day! Oh sorry, I mean the _Valentine_ of the day."

Rose grunted and rolled her eyes. Of course he'd be there to taunt her.

She glared at Scorpius Malfoy who was standing behind her and Albus' seats, his oh so very annoying smirk on his face.

"Leave me alone, Malfoy," she snapped. She was trying her best to keep her calm and not yell that it was all his fault. And it was killing her, because she had to keep quiet while listening to him gloating at her embarrassment.

"Why? I was just congratulating you," he told her, his smirk still in place.

"Mate, it's really not the right time," Albus warned him gently. He usually let them argue as much as they wanted, but he felt that Rose was about to snap. It had been a long time since he hadn't seen that much steel in her eyes. It looked like she could literally kill the Slytherin with just a stare.

Scorpius seemed to get the hint as he also noticed Rose's facial expression. He sighed, his hands up, "I don't get why she's all riled up because she's got a date, but fine. I'll leave the little Gryffindor princess alone. See you later, Potter." He then went to his own table and sat next to Damon.

"I swear I'll end up killing him one time," Rose declared, still glaring angrily at Scorpius.

"Please don't, I like talking to you without metal bars between us," Albus joked, "Plus, I happen to appreciate the bloke."

"I still don't understand that phenomenon," Rose replied, but she had still calmed down.

"Guys are simple. We began to talk about Quidditch, and that was it, really," Albus explained humorously.

Rose chuckled, "Yes, you are."

xxx

Meanwhile, at the Slytherin table, Damon said to Scorpius, "That's disappointing."

Scorpius frowned, "What?"

"I was expecting a death fight between you and Rose, but you just walked away before she could even snap, which is pretty peculiar of you," Damon explained.

"I may enjoy taunting her, but I do not have a death wish. She had a fairly scary look back there," Scorpius said in a laid-back manner. "I really don't get why, though. She should be happy to have a new little boyfriend. Heck, she even was she one who asked him out."

Damon chuckled at his friend's obvious jealousy, but didn't say a word about it.

"She just doesn't like the attention. Everyone is talking about her after all."

"That's her own fault. After claiming for years she would never date on Valentine's Day, she does that," Scorpius scoffed. "Miss Perfect can't even handle her own promises."

"Watch it, Scorp', someone might hear you talking about her like that," a little voice whispered from behind them.

They both turned their head, and saw a smiling Sicilia.

"So what?"

Sicilia shrugged and took the seat next to Scorpius, "I was just saying." She took an apple and took a bite out of it, "So, what did you do to her yesterday?"

Damon frowned, "Yesterday?"

"Yes," she took another bite, "She couldn't be that angry at our Scorpy only because she was embarrassed to be the object of everyone's gossips that didn't involve him in any way. So, what did you do?"

Scorpius seemed to remember something, but only said, "I already told you not to use that childish nickname."

"Don't try to change the subject, _Scorpy_," she smirked.

This girl was really something. She was the only one who managed to have Scorpius Malfoy at her mercy. She knew all his weaknesses, and could read him like an open book. She also could do that to pretty much everyone, including him, even if he would never admit that out loud. But nobody could read her, and if they tried, they could only see what she was willing to reveal. Rose may be the smartest girl of their year according to her grades and skills, but Sicilia would probably beat her by far in a psychological battle. Damon was glad she was naturally kind-hearted, because she could be awfully scary at times. Brilliant… but scary.

Scorpius sighed, "Nothing, really. I wasn't even mean to her."

"Then, what?" Sicilia tried to dig deeper.

"No-thing," he repeated.

But Sicilia gave him a look.

He sighed, "I don't even know why I'm trying to convince you, I don't care if you believe me or not."

She finally smiled, "Fine, I believe you."

That girl, seriously.

But then, she looked like she was thinking about it and said, "Maybe you did something without being aware of it, then."

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "Stop analysing everything and just eat your bloody apple." She was still holding it after only taking two bites out of it.

"Fine, I'll just let you think about it, then," she smiled again, and focused on her apple instead.

Judging by Scorpius' silence, Damon realized she'd just casually managed to put thoughts into his head. That was how skilful she was.

xxxxx

After breakfast, everyone went back to their dormitories. But Albus quickly couldn't stand it anymore and went out for a walk. That's when he saw Scorpius lying on a bench, napping.

He raised his eyebrows and approached him, "Don't you have a bed to sleep in?"

Scorpius didn't open his eyes, "Right now, I do not. The girls are too loud and I couldn't relax at all, even in the boys' dormitory."

"I know the feeling," Albus said sorrowfully. He moved away his friend's legs and sat on the bench.

"Please help yourself," Scorpius exclaimed sarcastically as he straightened up.

He ignored Scorpius' complaints and suddenly declared, "Girls are like mogwais."

Scorpius looked at him as if he was speaking another language, but then just said, "If a mogwai is some sort of hysterical beast, I agree."

"My father showed me an old film called _The Gremlins_ once. In it, mogwais are really cute and lovely little creatures at first, but if you feed them after midnight, they become creepy and dangerous monsters called gremlins. So, girls are mogwais that turn into gremlins on Valentine's Day," he explained.

Scorpius nodded slowly, "Sounds like a good description."

"Right?"

xxxxx

The girls' dormitory was a tremendous mess. Clothes were lying, hanging, and even flying everywhere. Everyone was talking at the same time, asking what they should wear, or discussing about their mutual dates, or saying how the others were lucky to have a date.

Chaos. That's the only word that came to Rose's mind when she entered the room.

She just stood there, not believing it was actually even worse than last year. Probably because a lot more have found someone this year. She was impressed at how organized they all were in this chaos. Everyone knew their place, where and with who their clothes were, and even what perfume each one had put on.

Girls are frighteningly amazing when they're in love, Rose concluded. And she also understood why Lena didn't want to go up and stayed in their common room instead. She decided to go join her.

She was about to go out of the room, when she heard Lily's voice call her, "Rosie, wait!"

She turned around and saw her little cousin smiling mischievously at her as she was handing her a small piece of paper, "That's for you, from _Loann_."

Rose still hadn't seen Loann yet. According to Sylvia, he woke up early and had already finished taking breakfast before Rose came in. Then, he seemed to be staying in the boys' dormitory. She was wondering if he was avoiding her because he was embarrassed of her.

So, she was curious to see what was written on this. Could he have changed his mind?

"It's not bad news," Lily commented with a playful smile. "Now, excuse me, but I need to find the perfect outfit for this afternoon." She left Rose alone.

Rose unfolded the piece of paper, and read 'Will wait for you at 2pm in front of the astronomy tower. – Loann.

She smiled at his thoughtfulness before going down as she initially intended to do.

She put the little piece of paper inside her pocket and went to sit next to Lena, "I give up, I guess I just won't start reading my book today."

Lena chuckled, "Shouldn't you be getting ready too instead of reading a book anyway?"

"I already got ready before breakfast."

Lena shook her head, smiling, "Right."

Rose was about to say something, but she saw Peter urging towards the door, and called him, "Peter, where are you going?"

"To the Ravenclaw Tower, before I'm too late," he said without slowing down or even looking at her. And like that, he was gone.

Lena was staring at the door, and suddenly asked, "Rose, do you know what day it is?"

Rose frowned at the sudden determined look Lena had on her face, and didn't see where she was going, "Valentine's Day, who doesn't know?"

"We're the 14th of February. I just realized it's already the middle of February and I still haven't completed my bet. And I do not want to have a dare," Lena merely said before storming out of the room.

Rose smiled a little, hoping everything would work out for her best friend.

xxxxx

Lena was running as fast as she could so that she could catch up with Peter. She didn't want to sit and do nothing like in the dream she had had. She needed to stop him. When she finally found him, she yelled, "Wait!"

Peter halted and turned around. He looked confused, "Lena? What are you doing? I'm in a hurry."

She walked up to him, and said between two breaths, "Don't go."

He frowned, "What are you talking about? Go where?"

"To the Ravenclaw Tower," she only said.

"But I have to, or Petunia –" He started to argue but she cut him out.

"Why are you back together with her anyway?" She blurted out.

He put the back of his hand on her forehead, "Are you sick or something? You're not making any sense."

She moved his hand away, "Answer me, Peter. Why are you dating Petunia again? I thought you didn't really like her."

Peter stared at her for a few seconds before laughing out loud, "What made you think that I'm dating her again?"

Lena frowned, "You're not?"

"Of course not. We're just friends."

"Then, why were you running to see her?"

"She told me she'd cook for her boyfriend. But James just told me Ludovic was allergic to one of the ingredients she'd use, so I wanted to warn her before her date was ruined because the poor lad has to be brought to the nursery," he explained.

"But, she hugged you yesterday," Lena said, still not believing how wrong she had been.

"Yes, because I was the one who introduced her to Ludovic after she asked me that favour a few days ago, she was just thanking me."

Lena had finally calmed down, "Oh." This was so embarrassing.

"So, why didn't you want me to go?" He asked her.

Lena smiled dryly and shook her head, "You seemed so serious a few minutes ago, but I was afraid she might playing with you again, that's all."

He grinned, "I didn't know you worried about me. But thank you."

"It's normal between friends," she told him, trying not to sound too bitter.

"So, can I go now? Because she might leave her dormitory anytime soon," he asked her, pointing his thumb behind him.

"Of course," she merely said.

He smiled at her, "Great. See you then." He turned around and began to run again.

She just stared at his silhouette until he disappeared on the right. Then, she sat on a low wall near her, she didn't have any strength in her legs left.

She was feeling so stupid. But the worst wasn't that she was embarrassed to have misunderstood him, nor that, in the end, she couldn't bring herself to tell him how she felt. No, the worst was his reaction. He didn't even wonder why she had been running like crazy just to tell him not to go see Petunia. He was only very amused by the conclusion she'd made.

Sometimes, she was wondering if he really was brainless, or if he was just acting like he was.

But whether he really didn't understand or just acted as if he didn't, it was the same. Either way, it meant that he didn't like her more than a friend. She was now a hundred percent sure of that.

xxxxx

It had been more than an hour since Lena stormed out of their common room to go after Peter, and frankly, Rose was getting worried. None of them had returned yet. And she didn't know if it was a good sign or a bad one, but she couldn't just wait and see.

She therefore decided to go look for them.

After a few minutes, she saw Albus and Scorpius talking on a bench outside. She grunted at the sight of the Slytherin, but still went to talk to them.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for your little date?" Scorpius asked her with a hint of sarcasm as soon as he noticed her.

Rose just rolled her eyes, "Sorry, but I don't have the time to fight with you. I'm searching for Lena, have you seen her?"

"Not since I went out of our tower, why? What's wrong?" Albus answered.

"Probably nothing. But I have the feeling she might be feeling down or something," Rose told him.

"Why would she?" Albus asked.

"She went after Peter when he said he was going to see Petunia."

"So?" Scorpius wasn't following her.

Rose ignored him and was only talking to Albus, "She said she'd complete her new year's resolution. But it was an hour ago, so I'm afraid it didn't go well."

Albus finally understood. "If that's true, she didn't come back because she didn't want to. She probably needs some time alone. I think you should just wait at least until lunch, and if she doesn't show up then, we'll go look for her, ok?"

Rose wasn't really happy with this solution, but she knew he was probably right, "Fine."

She sat next to Albus.

"Are you staying?" Scorpius asked her, his eyebrow raised.

"Well, yes. If I go back on my own I might just end up searching for her anyway. Plus, it's like a zoo back there," she replied.

"Is she bipolar?" Scorpius asked Albus.

"She isn't. She's just back to her mogwai form, I guess."

Rose hit Albus' arm, "Did you just imply I was a gremlin before?"

Albus looked surprised, "How did you know?"

Rose rolled her eyes, "I watched that film with you, you idiot."

"I actually forgot that detail," he told her honestly.

Malfoy laughed at his friend's silliness, which made Rose glare at him, "I wouldn't laugh if I were you."

Malfoy smirked arrogantly at her, "Why, will you turn into a crazy monster again? Oh wait, you're always like that around me."

"And whose fault is that?" She retorted vehemently.

"Yours. I didn't do anything this time," he said confidently.

"_You didn't do anything_?" She couldn't believe it. Her tone was starting to get angrier, "If it weren't for you I wouldn't have–" She suddenly shut it, realizing what she was about to say.

"You wouldn't have what?" He asked her. "What did I do to ruin your little life again? Tell me."

She had to think about something, anything, that could bring her out of this situation.

But Albus stood up and said, "Stop it, you two. I came here for calm, so if you want to fight, go somewhere else."

Malfoy raised his eyebrow at Albus, "I was there first, remember? And _you_ woke me up."

Saved by Albus. He'd managed to change the subject without her getting suspicious.

"Wow, the precious Scorpius Malfoy sleeping on a bench?" she mocked.

"Try to go to my common room and you'll see if you don't prefer to sleep on a bench," he told her.

"Well, I was in the girls' dormitory, so I think I've seen worse than you." She sighed, "I just want this day to be over and go back to our normal life."

"You're probably the only girl with a date thinking that right now," Albus remarked.

"Don't you like your little book loaner?" Malfoy taunted her.

"His name is Loann. And he'll probably be the only good side of this day," she retorted.

"Really? By your behaviour from this morning, I thought you were having regrets," he smirked. "You still can go back on your answer, and choose the book or your homework instead you know."

Rose rolled her eyes at him, getting really tired of his annoying remarks, "Why do you even care anyway?"

"I don't, but I was trying to give you a friendly advice," he said nonchalantly.

"Friendly," Rose scoffed, "Right."

"What did I tell you? Stop fighting," Albus finally intervened. "Or do you really want that I leave you two alone?"

"Please do, so that I can murder him," Rose told him while giving a deathly stare at Malfoy.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself," Malfoy dared her.

"That's it. I'm leaving. I have to meet Suzy before lunch anyway. Have fun together," Albus declared before really leaving them.

Rose couldn't believe it he just did that.

"You even scare off your own cousin, that's something," Malfoy commented.

She glared at him, "As if you didn't play a part in this."

xxxxx

Peter was walking around the castle. He had been able to warn Petunia about Ludovic's allergy, and left her about ten minutes ago. But he didn't want to go back to his dormitory. Or more like, he couldn't.

He didn't have the courage to face her.

Even if he tried to hide it, and never admitted it to anyone, not even himself, he liked her. He maybe even loved her. How couldn't he? She was beautiful, fun, kind, smart, and strong-willed.

So, when he heard her yell at him to wait, he was more than surprised.

When he heard her say 'Don't go,' his heart skipped a beat.

When she questioned him about him and Petunia, he tried not to look affected.

When he asked her why she didn't want him to go see Petunia, he was afraid of the answer.

He wasn't a complete idiot, he knew she didn't ran to the point of being out of breath just because she was worried about her friend possibly being heartbroken. But he didn't want to face that reality, and feigned knowing nothing.

So, when she answered she was just worried, he didn't know how to react, and ended up trying to lighten the mood.

When she pronounced she word 'friends,' it hurt. And it hurt even more to see her expression when she said it. But he still acted as if he didn't understand the situation, and left her with a smile.

After thinking about it, maybe he _was_ a complete idiot.

He was finally starting to think that maybe, just maybe, she returned his feelings, and yet he pushed her away.

In his defence, he really hadn't seen that one coming, and had been totally taken aback.

He wasn't used to girls running after him, and not to mention to Lena running after him. He'd never been really popular. He wasn't as nice as Albus. He wasn't as cool as James. He wasn't as smart as Malfoy. And he wasn't as confident as Stones. He knew most people saw him as the fool of Gryffindor.

It was hard to admit that, but it was the truth. He didn't have anything special in him, nothing that made him stand out.

Why would Lena ever waste her time on someone like him? She was always repeating how brainless he was. He was sure she'd never seen him as a man. Or at least, he had been sure of that until today.

So, when he started to think that maybe he had a chance, he freaked out, telling himself it was impossible. And he instinctively played the fool again.

His head was a mess. He should be happy that she may return his feelings, but he couldn't bring himself to believe such a thing. She didn't say it clearly, so he couldn't let himself think it was true.

He could've dug deeper, to see if she was lying or not, if there wasn't something more than just worry that explained her actions. But he didn't dare. He was a coward. A brainless coward.

He suddenly stopped walking. He couldn't just leave things like that. He had to find her.

He turned around and rushed towards the Gryffindor tower, hoping she'd be there.

xxxxx

Damon and Sicilia were already heading towards the Great Hall to have lunch, when Sicilia suddenly halted, as if she'd seen something.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked her.

She didn't say a word and just pointed her chin towards the staircase on their right. Lena was sitting on it, alone. She was staring into space with a somehow sad expression on her face.

"You go first, I'll join you later," Damon then said to Sicilia before walking towards Lena, worried.

Sicilia watched him go, cast a sympathetic look at Lena and went on her way.

"You look better when you smile you know," Damon told Lena as he was getting closer.

She looked surprised to hear his voice, then went back to staring at the wall next to her, "You know I've never paid much attention to how I look."

Damon sat next to her, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," she told him.

"Do you want to go eat? It's almost midday."

"I'm not hungry."

"But I am, so let's go," he got up while taking her by the hand.

She resisted and stayed still, a ghost of a smile on her face, "You're a big boy, you can go without me."

"I wouldn't be a gentleman if I did that," he argued.

She raised her eyebrow at him, "Since when you're a gentleman, anyway?"

He feigned to think about it, and frowned "Since never. Right. But still, I won't leave you alone in this state. If Rose knows about this, she'll probably kick my arse. I saw her in action, and I don't want to be her next target."

Lena chuckled, "I wish I'd been there to witness this, too."

"Now, let's go," he moved his head to emphasize his point. "Hungry or not, you have to eat."

She seemed to finally agree and began to stand up, but then she looked sad again, "I can't."

"Why?"

"You probably don't want to hear why," she merely replied.

So, it was because of him. Of course he wasn't really surprised, but here was the confirmation.

"Since when do you care about what I want or not?" He joked, trying to lighten the mood. "So what, did you see them together again or what?"

She shook her head no, looking at her feet, "He told me they were just friends. Turns out she's dating someone else."

Damon frowned, "You should be happy, then. I don't understand."

"It doesn't change anything."

He sighed, "Of course it doesn't, because he still doesn't know how you feel. Why don't you go confess to him already?"

She finally looked up, and he could see tears in her eyes, "I tried, I really tried. But I couldn't. But even if I didn't, he should've known. If he wanted to know, he would've understood me back then. But he didn't, he just smiled as if nothing happened."

And she burst out crying, finally letting it all out.

He hugged her tightly, hiding her crying face into his chest. He didn't say anything, and let her cry as much as she needed to.

xxxxx

Peter was going crazy. She wasn't in their dormitories. She wasn't where he'd left her. She wasn't in the girls' bathroom either. And no, he didn't go see by himself, but he went as far as asking Moaning Myrtle to go check, and she wasn't easy to deal with. He still had goose bumps because of the weird things she'd told him.

But he didn't find her anywhere. He realized it was almost midday, maybe he'd find her at the Great Hall.

"Peter Crawfooord," he shivered again at her high-pitched singsong voice.

"What now?" He barked.

Moaning Myrtle looked shocked and hurt, "Why are you angry? And here I was going to tell you something helpful." She flew into a corner and began to complain angrily, "Nobody likes _Moaning Myrtle_ and her annoying voice. They only ask her for favours, and then toss her out when they're finished. Poor Moaning Myrtle…" She was now sobbing.

Peter sighed. She really was hard to deal with. But what she said made him curious, so he used a gentle voice and said, "I'm sorry, Myrtle. I'm just in a bad mood and you surprised me."

She looked at him, grinned, and flew at high-speed to stop right in front of his face, "It's ok, now that you apologized."

He forced a smile, "So, why were you looking for me again?"

"Oh, right. I'm very good at detecting the sobs of a girl, so when I heard some I went to see. Turns out it's your precious little Lena Reynolds."

His eyes widened, "Where is she?"

"Down the stairs in the west aisle. The ones that are the closest to the Great Hall," she advised him.

"Thank you so much," he exclaimed before starting to running towards the said stairs.

"Also, she was with another boy. A handsome and sexy one, too. I thought you should know," he heard Moaning Myrtle yell at him, obviously enjoying taunting him.

But whether she was with Stones or who knows who else, he didn't care; he only wanted to see her. If Moaning Myrtle was saying the truth, she was crying. And he couldn't stand that.

He slowed down when he arrived in front of the said stairs. He walked down them quietly, and stopped when he saw them.

Damon Stones was hugging her.

He instinctively hid behind the wall, and watched the scene from there.

They slowly broke the hug, and he heard Lena say, "Thank you."

Stones smirked, "You know I'm always here to cheer up cute girls."

She laughed slightly, and hit his arm jokingly, "You playboy."

He grinned, and put his arm around her shoulders, "Come on, you go to the bathroom to freshen up a little, and then we'll go eat. I was hungry already, but now I'm starving."

"So, in the end, you only want to eat," she rebuked him humorously.

"Of course. A man's stomach needs to be filled, we're pretty weak on this point."

"Poor you," she mocked as they were walking away, Stones' arm still around her shoulders.

Once Peter was sure they were gone, he stopped hiding, and went straight to the Great Hall.

xxxxx

"But seriously, are you really going to show up on your date like that?" Scorpius asked Rose, eyeing her as they were walking in the corridors.

Rose sighed loudly, getting tired of his remarks, "I'm perfectly fine like that, yes."

"I see, so you don't feel the need to impress him. Interesting," he concluded.

"Can't a girl want to stay natural?" She snapped. He was so annoying.

"I'm just saying it's a little too casual for a first date. Isn't it a sign that you don't care?" He insisted.

She rolled her eyes, "Believe what you want, I don't care."

"So you're not denying it," he smirked.

"Do you have a death wish or what?" She threatened him.

He held his hands up, "Easy there, I was just making conversation. Why are you so sensitive when it comes to this subject anyway?"

"Because I've got enough people gossiping about me and scrutinizing me already. I know you never miss a chance to taunt me, but I really need a break right now, ok?"

He stared at her for a second before replying surprisingly calmly, "Fine, I'll stop."

She didn't think that would actually work, so she said the only thing that came to her mind, "Thank you."

She expected him to tease her for saying those words, but he didn't.

Since the silence was killing her, she found herself asking him, "And you, what will you do this afternoon?"

"Avoid the whining heartbroken girls, mostly."

Rose chuckled, her eyebrow raised, "Why, are you afraid they'd jump at you?"

"I'm more afraid they'd want me to _listen_ to them," he made a face and shuddered at the thought. "Once, I made the mistake to tell one to stop crying because she was too loud and annoying. I don't know how, but she thought it was an invitation for talking to me, and she wouldn't stop for an entire hour."

She raised her eyebrows at him, amused, "So even the selfish Scorpius Malfoy is defenceless in front of a crying girl."

"Well, I'm not heartless," he told her. "Plus, I tried to escape, but she wouldn't let me."

Rose laughed, imagining the scene, "Of course you did." That sounded more like him.

"Am I dreaming or what?" They heard Damon's voice exclaim.

Lena was next to him, and pinched his arm.

"What was that for?" He complained.

She smirked, "To make sure you weren't dreaming."

Rose smiled at their antics. At least, Lena seemed in a good mood.

"How come you two are together?" Rose asked them.

They briefly looked at each other, and Lena said, "We bumped into each other on our way to the Great Hall. And you two?"

"Albus was actually with us first, but he selfishly left us alone to join his girlfriend," Rose nagged.

"I'm surprised he did. This morning you looked like you were on the verge of killing Scorpius, how come you seem to get along now?" Damon asked.

"Don't worry, a few minutes ago I was about to hex him," she assured them.

"She's a peach, isn't she?" Scorpius commented ironically.

"Talking about peaches, let's go eat!" Damon exclaimed happily while heading towards the Great Hall, his friends following him.

When they were in front of the entrance, Rose stopped, Lena seemed to hesitate.

"What's going on?" Rose asked her quietly. Did something happen after all?

Lena smiled slightly at her, "I'll tell you later. But I'm fine, don't worry."

Scorpius stopped next to Rose and asked the girls, "What are you doing? Aren't you going in?"

Damon put a hand on each girl's shoulder and smiled, "Let's go."

He and Scorpius then went to sit at their table, while Lena and Rose finally headed towards theirs. When she saw Loann, Rose smiled slightly at him as a greeting, but didn't stop so she wouldn't grab attention.

Albus and Peter were already sitting next to each other. Lena sat across Albus who smiled at them, and Rose sat next to her and across Peter. The latter kept staring at his plate, ignoring them.

Rose felt relieved that everyone seemed to have lost interest for her love life, but she was now worried about Lena. Judging by the atmosphere, something did happen between her and Peter, and it didn't seem good at all.

"Mate, will you stop harassing that poor piece of meat? It's dead already," Albus told Peter.

Peter finally ate the piece of meat, and suddenly stood up, "I don't feel well. I'll go back to our dormitory." And he left.

Albus and Rose frowned at his behaviour. Rose wanted to ask Lena what happened, but she felt like it wasn't the right time, so she let it go. Thankfully, Albus seemed to have made the same decision.

Lunchtime was less loud than usual, but it still went ok, even if Lena was a little off during the whole thing.

xxxxx

Once they were back at their dormitory and the other girls had all finished getting ready, Rose took the chance to ask Lena what happened.

After Lea finished explaining, Rose frowned, "I understand how you feel. But if you didn't fight or anything, how come he acted like he did during lunch?"

Lena merely shrugged, "How would I know?" She then looked at the clock on the wall, and smiled at Rose, "You should go now, or you'll be late for your date."

But Rose didn't want to leave her like that.

"I'm fine. Don't ruin your date because of me, ok?" Lena insisted before Rose could even utter a word.

Rose sighed, "Fine. See you later then."

"Of course. Now, shoo!" Lena happily waved her arms at her best friends.

"Ok, ok, I'm going," Rose laughed and finally left the room.

xxxxx

Rose smiled when she saw Loann waiting for her in front of the Astronomy Tower. She greeted him, "Hey."

He smiled back at her, "Hey."

"I hope you didn't wait for too long."

"No, I got here just a few minutes ago," he assured her.

"So, why did you choose that place?" She asked him.

"The Tower is out of bounds, so I thought it'd be calm around here."

They then heard people laughing. Rose saw Petunia go out of the Astronomy Tower with her boyfriend… Ludovic Brinson? _He_ was her boyfriend? No wonder he never asked her for an answer, he'd already found someone else.

The happy couple halted when they saw Rose and Loann.

"Rose, hey," Petunia greeted her politely.

"Petunia," Rose nodded her head, then looked at her boyfriend, "Ludovic."

"Well, that's awkward," Ludovic commented. "I'm sorry Rose, but I really like Petunia. I hope you'll be able to move on happily."

Rose raised her eyebrows, not believing he was acting as if she should be heartbroken by that scene, "You do realize that I'm also on a date, right? Plus, I never planned on accepting your invitation."

Ludovic finally noticed Loann's presence, "Oh, sorry mate, I didn't see you."

"No problem," Loann said.

"Wait, did you ask Rose out or what?" Petunia connected the dots.

"Well, yes. But that was before I met you, I mean it," he took her hands and smiled gently at her. "I only have eyes for you now."

Petunia grinned, touched, "Oh, you're so sweet."

And they began to snog in front of them.

"I think that's our cue," Rose announced before taking Loann by the arm, "Let's go take a walk."

Once they were a few meters away, Loann said, "That was… Interesting."

"Sorry about that."

"You don't have to be sorry," he assured her.

xxxxx

Lena was reading a book in the Gryffindor common room when Peter went out of the boys' dormitory.

When he saw her, he immediately turned around and went back to his dormitory.

That was it. Lena couldn't take it anymore. She should be the one avoiding him, not the other way around.

Without thinking, she rushed in the boys' dormitory, surprising the few boys that were still here.

Peter frowned when he saw her enter the room, "What are you doing here?"

She was glaring at him as she said to the other students, "I'm sorry, but could you please leave us alone?"

She might've looked a little scary since they all immediately obeyed without even trying to protest.

Once they were alone, she asked, "Why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding you," he denied.

"Cut the crap. You are. At lunch, you left when Rose and I arrived. Just now, you saw me and went back to your room. So tell me what the hell's happening?"

He looked away, "I said I didn't feel well."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm tired of your little act. You have absolutely no reason to be mad at me. I should be the one who's mad. You don't have the right to take that from me." Her voice was getting louder.

"I'm not mad, ok?"

"Then what are you, huh?"

"I don't know!" He snapped, finally looking at her. "I really don't," he said in a calmer voice.

Her facial expression softened, "What happened? You were smiling when you left before."

"Your resolution, about being honest about your feelings, are you following it?" He asked her out of nowhere.

"Why are you asking me that now?"

"Are you or not?" He insisted.

She looked straight at him and answered, "Not entirely."

"Were you following it when you came to me this morning?"

"I was," she immediately answered.

"Oh."

She went on, "I was, until I chickened out."

She saw his eyes widen, "What do you mean?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"I do. Or maybe I don't. I don't know anymore," he rambled.

"Then, you can ask me one question, and I promise that I'll tell you the truth right away. Only one question."

"Fine," he came closer and looked into her eyes. But his eyes looked sorrowful. And he finally asked, "Did you cry because of me today?"

She hadn't seen that one coming. How did he even know? Did he see her? She wanted to ask him, but she promised she'd answer him honestly, "Yes."

He took a few steps back and sat on his bed, as if he didn't have any strength left, "I see."

She frowned, "That's it? You don't want to know more?"

"That's it. I had the right to ask only one question after all, that was your rule," he smiled weakly at her.

"Since when do you care about rules, huh?" She snapped.

"Since now, apparently."

"So what, you don't want more details so that you can act as if nothing happened, just like you did this morning?" She was getting angrier and angrier.

"I don't deserve those details."

She frowned, "What are you talking about?"

He stood up again, and shouted angrily, "I made you _cry_, for Merlin's sake! I don't deserve anything from you."

That's when she realized he wasn't angry at her, but at himself.

He then looked away and said quietly, "I used to be the one making you laugh. But I made you cry, and someone else was able to cheer you up."

"Did you see us?" Lena finally asked.

He didn't answer.

"Did you see Damon and me, Peter?" She asked more loudly. "Is that why you're acting like that?"

"I did," he snapped, "And I realized what I feared was true. You should stop wasting your time with me and go see him."

"And what gives you the right to decide what's better for me or not?" She yelled.

"I don't decide. I just know," he said painfully.

"You don't know," she retorted. "If you did, you would've never said that." She could feel the tears welling up.

"See? All I do now is make you cry!"

"Yes, because you won't see the truth!" She yelled back.

"What truth?" Their voices kept getting louder.

"That I'm in love with you, you idiot!" She finally shouted, letting the tears flow down her cheeks. "That's why I stopped you this morning. That's why I cried when I realized you'll always only see me as a friend. That's why I'm crying right now."

He didn't move nor talk. He was probably too taken aback to do anything.

"How could you love someone like me?" She heard him ask. "I'm just a lazy, brainless fool. You're the first to say so."

She looked up, smiling slightly, "And you are most of the time."

He frowned, "Then, why–"

"What's my favourite hot drink?" She suddenly asked.

"Hazelnut hot chocolate," he answered without thinking.

"What's my favourite colour?"

"Dark blue."

"My favourite sport?"

"Basketball."

"My favourite season?"

"Winter."

"Why?"

"Because nights are longer and you like the atmosphere, especially when everything's covered with snow."

"What do I do when I'm nervous?"

"You play with your ear."

"Which one?"

"The right one."

Lena finally smiled, "You're my closest friend beside Rose, and you're probably the one who knows me the most. You may act like a fool and seem to not have a single care in the world, but all these years, you've been able to cheer me up every single time I was feeling down, even when I didn't say anything."

She was especially thinking about the dream she had this morning, which was in fact a memory from last year – without the part where Petunia popped up out of nowhere, obviously. It may be hard to believe, but the moment she realized she truly loved Peter was last year, when she was watching him pouting and drinking his milk chocolate in front of the fire like a child. Of course, it wasn't because he looked like a child, but because of everything else.

She went on, "And you're always pouting when we tease you, but when you're truly feeling down, you don't let it show because you don't want to be a burden to anyone. Today was the first time you let it show, and it was because you were angry at yourself for hurting me."

Peter didn't seem to know what to say.

"I like to believe that I know you just as much as you know me. The only thing you don't seem to understand about me is how I feel about you, just like I ignore how you feel about me." After a few seconds she added, "So, if you could just tell me that'd be grea–"

He suddenly hugged her tightly, shutting her up.

"I think you already know."

Lena smiled as she hugged him back. "So, I guess I won the bet?" She joked.

He broke slightly the hug, feigning shock, "I should've known there was something else motivating you."

"You can't blame me for not wanting to walk around in ridiculous clothes. I may not pay much attention to my looks, but there's a limit."

"It would've be fun to watch, though," he smirked.

She smiled maliciously, "Maybe you'll lose, and you'll see how fun it actually is."

xxxxx

Rose and Loann had talked about the books they recently read, their favourite authors etc. And they found they had a lot of things in common. Rose was having a pretty good time. Loann really was nice.

"And what's your favourite subject?" Loann asked her.

"Probably Transfiguration, and you?"

"I think, Potions," he told her.

Rose made a face.

Loann frowned, "Don't you like that class?"

"I liked it before, and then I got paired up with Malfoy." She made a face again when she said his name.

"I thought you were kind of friends now. I saw you even came together at lunch."

"We're kind of bound to hang out together, since we have the same group of friends now, but we are not friends," she explained.

"I'm relieved, then," he told her.

She frowned, "Why would you be?"

"I thought there might be something going on between you two since you were often together. But I'm glad it's not like that."

"The only thing going on between us is fighting," she assured him. "If he wasn't good friends with Albus, I would've probably hexed that prick a dozen times already."

Loann chuckled, "You're quite different when you're talking about him."

Rose suddenly felt embarrassed, "Sorry. He's just so annoying–" she was starting to get worked up again, but stopped herself and smiled instead, "But let's stop talking about him. I was in a good mood, I don't want to ruin that."

Loann smiled at her, "Of course. We'll do whatever you want."

And that's when Rose realized, they already were doing whatever she wanted. Since they met up, she had chosen where to go, what to discuss about, and now even what _not_ to discuss about. She took the lead without even noticing.

"How about we do what you want, now," she smiled at him.

"Are you sure?" He asked her as if he had something in mind.

"Well, as long as we don't break more than five school rules," she joked.

"We won't even break one," he assured her before holding her hand. "See?"

"Indeed," she smiled, but it felt a little forced. She'd imagined something else. But she should be glad he was the perfect gentleman, even if holding hands like that felt kind of strange.

They walked a little like that, but Rose felt too awkward, so she broke the silence, "How about we go sit on that bench?"

She took the opportunity to let go of his hand as she headed towards the bench, Loann just behind her. But she slid – Merlin she was clumsy these days – and fell on her butt.

Loann squatted down and asked her, "Are you ok? I'm so sorry I couldn't catch you."

Rose couldn't help thinking that he should've been able to since he was right behind her. She also remembered that Malfoy seemed even farther from her before she almost fell yesterday but still caught her in time. She had to admit he had good reflexes, but that wasn't really surprising from a seeker now that she was thinking about it.

"I'm alright," she assured him while taking the hand he was offering.

But when he pulled her, he used too much strength and she bumped into him, their faces only a few inches from each other.

His expression changed, and he began to lean in, but Rose quickly moved away.

"I'm sorry, I'm so clumsy," she exclaimed awkwardly while brushing the dust off her trousers. But a stain remained. "I think I'll have to wash this, I'm really sorry."

"But we barely see it, you can clean it later."

"No, dressing casually is one thing, but staying like this is really not caring," she mumbled, remembering Malfoy's words. She looked at Loann, "I'm really sorry, I'll see you later. When I'm more presentable."

And she left before he could protest. She felt so embarrassed. Not because of that little stain of course, that was completely an excuse to get out of this situation. No, because he'd tried to kiss her and she moved away. The rest of the date would've been too awkward for her to handle.

Thing is, there was no spark. She felt nothing. And that worried her a little. She thought that being so close to any boy she knew would make her nervous, but it apparently wasn't the case.

She knew that date was a bad idea. And she knew Valentine's Day was not for her. She'll never make that mistake again.

She couldn't go back to their common room yet, or else she'll be sure that everyone would ask her why she already came back, and without her date on top of it. So, she went to the one place she knew would be the most deserted of the castle today. The library.

Before entering, she remembered she should do something about her jeans looking like that. She took her wand out and pointed it at the stain on her trousers, "_Tergeo_ trousers."

She then went in. It really was deserted, there weren't even five students in there. But her mood went quickly down when she recognized one of them, sitting at the farthest table of the place.

Was she cursed or something?

She wondered if she should just turn around before he could see her, but then she heard a quiet whistle. It was him.

She rolled her eyes. What was she, a dog? But she still walked towards him. She felt like if she left now, he'd just follow her and drag the other students' attention towards her.

"I guess you really weren't interested," he only said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes, and sat next to him, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I was first staying in my dormitory, but girls could still come in. So, I went to the place where no whining girls would want to go, and even if they did, they wouldn't be allowed to whine anyway."

"You put a lot of thought into this, I see."

"And you, how come you're not with your perfectly nice book owner?" He said with a smile, repeating her words from yesterday.

She shrugged, "I guess perfectly nice isn't really perfect."

"So, he was boring," he concluded while leaning back on his chair.

She wanted to say he wasn't, that they had talked a lot, and that they had a lot in common. But she couldn't. So, she just said, "How about we go rehearse that presentation?"

He seemed surprised at first, but quickly smiled, "Of course, let's find a quiet place where we can talk freely."

They left the library and ended up going in an empty classroom nearby. And Rose began to think that maybe, she had listened to the wrong part of Lena's advice.


End file.
